Blair's Been Bitten
by complete-randomalities
Summary: For Blair, being a Werewolf isn't anything new. In her Reality she was born with the Werewolf-Curse, triggered it, and lived with it. Being a Wolf is a part of who she is – It's in her blood and perhaps even her soul. What would happen if she ventured to a different Reality where Werewolves also existed? Would she be the same or end up running with a whole different pack of wolves?
1. A Wolf is a Wolf is a Wolf

**A/N: Hey, Readers! The first 'Episode' of this fic takes place in Season 1 Episode 3 of Bitten. Hope you enjoy it! OH! There's also this – I'm going to be honest here and tell y'all that I wrote this for the fun of it and have no idea if/when I'll continue it. I had writer's block on every other story I have but this 'Episode' just seemed to flow without issue, so it helped. I wanted to let y'all know this and if I don't end up continuing it, I apologize in advance. But who knows? I just might.**

 **P.S. In this Personification AU this is Blair's first time using Bonnie's Spell. So there won't be any references to Blair Visits the Walking Dead.**

* * *

 _For Blair, being a Werewolf isn't anything new. In her Reality she was born with the Werewolf-Curse, triggered it, and lived with it. Being a Wolf was a part of who she is – It's in her blood and perhaps even her soul. But that's in her Reality. What would happen if she ventured to a different Reality where Werewolves also existed? Would she be the same or end up running with a whole different pack of wolves?_

* * *

Long story short, Bonnie Bennet found a universe jumping spell. As soon as Blair heard about it, she just _had_ to do it. She knew the rules – If you wanted to leave the Spell then your Alter would have to die in it and then Blair would return back to Mystic Falls. Blair didn't think about what that really meant when she agreed. She didn't think about how her Alter would have to die in order for her to come home. All Blair wanted was a break from her Reality and so she let Bonnie cast the Spell, despite not knowing where she was going to end up. All she knew was – wherever she was sent – she'd be sent there for a reason.

Once the Spell was cast and Blair closed her eyes in Bonnie's living room in her Reality, she opened them to find she was standing outside a warehouse in Bear Valley, New York – _not_ in her Reality. It was nighttime and by the sounds of the music blaring from the warehouse and all the people moving towards it, there was definitely a rave or something of the like going on in there.

Blair looked down at what her Alter had chosen to wear that evening; black pleated mini skirt, black tank top, black leather jacket, fishnet tights, and knee-high heeled boots. It wasn't too far off what Blair herself would have picked for something like this so it actually made her kinda relieved that her Alter didn't seem too different from herself. At least where clothes were concerned anyway. Blair wasn't too worried about people figuring out that Blair wasn't this Reality's Blair because Bonnie told her the longer she stayed the more memories would filter through, and it's not like she was a stranger to lives' memories popping up randomly so she wasn't really bothered by it.

Blair was about to head into the rave but some guy bumped into her. "Watch it," she snapped and walked past him when he froze and looked at her like a predator would its prey. Because of this, Blair made a mental note to avoid him like hell the rest of the night. Seemed like her Alter had a plan in place where it came to sketchy guys. The bottle of pepper spray Blair felt in her jacket pocket gave hint to that anyway.

The rave was in full swing when Blair went inside. Laser lights were shooting off all over the place, everyone was jumping and dancing to the music, and inflatable balls were being thrown in the air repeatedly by the crowd. Since Blair didn't have any of her Alter's memories yet, she just allowed herself to have a good time and started dancing to the music. If a shoe was going to drop when the memories did filter through – which was a possibility – Blair was going to enjoy this Reality while it lasted. In other words; Party first, think later.

* * *

Everything was going great at the rave. Blair was enjoying herself more than she had in a long time and it was nice. She didn't have to worry about anything and could just let loose. Good things don't last forever and the other shoe did drop, but Blair didn't consider just what that other shoe might look like.

She heard screaming coming from the catwalk above then saw a wolf – a _Werewolf_ if she had to put money on exactly what it was, and seeing this made Blair say to herself, "You've got to be kidding me!" While everyone else was running out of there, Blair rushed to the bar area and grabbed one of the stools. The Werewolf was tearing some poor guy apart and Blair couldn't stand for that. She brought the stool over and wailed it as hard as she could into the Wolf. Unfortunately, she wasn't as strong in this Reality as she was in her own so it just pissed the Wolf off.

"Shit!" As the Wolf turned its sights on her, she scrambled into her pocket for the pepper spray and sprayed right into the Wolf's eyes. It did deter it, but it didn't stop the Wolf from snapping at Blair's hand. She winced and held her hand close since it broke skin, and when a blonde woman shouted at her to run, she didn't think twice and did.

Blair went into a back area and hid behind a stack of pallets. Her hand was burning and throbbing and she wanted to scream. 'I'm not even here for 24-Hours and I've already been attacked by a supernatural creature? Why couldn't I have been sent somewhere normal?' Those were the thoughts going through her mind when she wasn't being distracted by the searing pain in her hand.

She moved further back behind the stack of pallets when she heard the snarling of the Wolf and silently gasped when it lunged at a young woman and just started eating her right up. Blair wanted to do something but she could barely move. She felt like lava was coursing through her veins and it took everything she had not to lose her mind. A part of her wanted to make a run for it when the Wolf was distracted when the blonde woman showed up along with some guy as big as a tree. Blair didn't get better looks at them because her vision was starting to get fuzzy.

Blair was so used to the whole 'you can only be born a Werewolf and not bitten to become one' thing from her Reality that she hadn't considered it might be different in this one. Honestly, she thought she was starting to get rabies or something.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on anything else but the pain and when she opened them the Wolf and the couple were gone. Blair wanted to get to a hospital ASAP and made herself move to try and get there. Thanks to the sounds of all the sirens outside, she didn't think it'd be that hard to get a ride. As long as she made it out there alive.

Blair was slowly making her way to the exit and almost made it but something stopped her. The blonde and the guy were in the office. The guy was strangling one of the rave-goers who was alive after being bitten by the Wolf. She was not ready to leave this Reality without finding out why the Spell chose to send her there, so she tried to make a run for it. Alas, she didn't make it very far. The heat spread over her so badly that she collapsed and this drew the attention her way.

Blair rolled onto her back and saw them coming towards her. She held out her hands to keep them away. "St – stay away from me!" Her voice was ragged from the heavy breathing.

The guy saw the bite mark on her hand. "She's been Bitten."

"Clay, no," the blonde woman firmly interjected. "Not again. We can take her to Stonehaven. If I survived then maybe she can."

Blair couldn't even try and figure out what they were talking about and tried to push herself to the exit. When the guy went over to her she seethed, "If – if you're going to ki-kill me, I won't go down with-without a fight."

The guy looked like he was prepared to kill her just like he killed the guy in the office but when he looked back to the blonde, something in his expression changed. "I'm not going to kill you, but that doesn't mean you're not going to die." Despite her trying to push him off her, he scooped her up and carried her out the back.

"You'll be alright," the blonde said to her soothingly. "We're taking you to Stonehaven. You're going to be fine."

Blair wasn't too quick to believe her, but she wasn't in the best condition to retort.

* * *

Stonehaven turned out to be a mansion-like place in the middle of the woods with its own personal torture cellar. At least that's the first thing Blair thought of when she saw it and gasped painfully, "Kinky," when the guy placed her in the cage and locked it. This made her think back to the Lockwood cellar and suddenly she started to laugh. Well, she _tried_ to laugh because it made sense now – _Werewolves, duh_. Bitten as opposed to born, apparently.

Blair looked through the bars and saw a different guy come down the stairs. Given how the couple reacted towards him, he must have been the one in charge. She wanted to say something but ended up crying out in pain _again_ instead.

Jeremy looked at Clay and Elena then to the young woman in the cage. "What is she doing here?"

"She was Bitten," Elena explained. "I couldn't let her die."

"You just made her death all the more excruciating," Jeremy shot back, clearly not pleased by this turn of events. "I will take care of this."

Blair looked at the new guy. "Woof." That was all she managed to get out before the pain surged through her again.

"I am so sorry you're being put through this." He picked up a knife from the table and moved closer to the cage. "I can end your suffering."

"I've been through worse," Blair said weakly as she started to slide the jacket off her arms. A familiar feeling was now coursing through her – the pain of the Change.

Jeremy was about to unlock the cage but stopped when he heard her speak. "What was that?"

The jacket was off and pushed to the side but Blair wasn't able to get anything else off – the Change was coming too quickly. Blair was on all fours when she heard Jeremy ask her to repeat what she said. The Change had started so she looked up and growled, "I've been through worse!" Blair's cries turned into snarls as her bones started cracking into new form and her face extended into that of a Wolf's. Her eyes glowed yellow as tawny-esque fur covered her entire body. When the Change completed, Blair's Wolf stood there in front of the new guy with only the cage between them and growled, making it clear that _no one_ was going to lay a hand on her.

Jeremy, Clay, and Elena all stood there stunned. Not only did this young woman survive the Change but it took to her quicker than anyone else they had ever seen. On top of that…she seemed to have control over her Wolf already. Before, Elena was the only female Werewolf but now that wasn't the case any longer. If this was a good thing or a bad thing, none of them knew, but what they did know was if any of the Mutts found out she existed then there would be a target on her back.

* * *

When Blair awoke it was morning and she was back to her human state. She found a set of clothes near the cage along with a tray of food. After pulling on the clothes that were way too long for her, she started eating. Blair was starving to say the least. Yeah, she always had an appetite before but this was different – borderline ravenous.

Blair was mid-bite when the new guy from the night before came downstairs and stood in front of the cage. "You're alive," he stated as he looked her over, "I must say I'm impressed."

After taking the bite and swallowing it, she answered him. "How long are you going to keep me here?"

He pulled a stool over and took a seat. "That depends."

"On what?" Blair wanted to know.

"Quite a few things, actually," he answered. "Let's start with your name."

Blair turned the question back on him. "You first." She took an extra big bite of the plain pancake in her hand to emphasize she wasn't going to say anything to him yet.

He chuckled a bit at this and introduced himself. "My name is Jeremy Danvers. Last night you met Elena and my son Clay."

Blair stopped chewing and almost laughed at the names. Yes, there was a Jeremy and an Elena here but _clearly_ they weren't the Alters of her Jeremy and Elena. She thought it was funny because just like she apparently couldn't escape Werewolves, she couldn't escape the eyes of a Jeremy or Elena either. "Good to know," she answered with a mouthful.

Jeremy waited for her to finish before waving his hand a bit. "I believe it is your turn."

She took a big gulp from the glass of orange juice and finally told him. "Blair Han."

Jeremy didn't recognize her name, so he proceeded with the conversation. "You're taking this rather well. Do you understand what happened to you?"

Blair couldn't help herself but to answer with, "Werewolves, _duh_." At his expression she said, "What can I say? I've always been a fan of myths, monsters, and legends. Always figured something happened to be real. So, Werewolves? Not really surprising."

"It is for us," Jeremy stated, then clarified, "That you survived, that is."

Blair sat up straighter. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"There are no female Werewolves," Jeremy answered. "Except for Elena and now…you. Women normally cannot survive the Change after being Bitten."

Blair opened her mouth to say something, but needed a second longer to process. "What about girls who were born to a Werewolf parent?"

"Only the males are born Wolves." Jeremy stepped closer to the cage, still thinking she was taking this better than a normal person should have. Then again, perhaps she wasn't as normal as most. "Can I trust you, Blair?"

Once again, Blair turned the question back on him. "Can _I_ trust _you_?"

His response to that was, "I am the Alpha."

That wasn't good enough for her. "Eh, not really an answer. I'm gonna need something better than that."

Jeremy chuckled a bit at her. "How about this – We will both work to earn each other's trust?"

Blair figured why the hell not because maybe this was what the Spell sent her there for? "Sounds good. Now, can I get out of here?"

Jeremy pondered this for a moment before letting her out. "A couple more questions." He opened the cage door, "Do you have any family?"

Blair just so happened to dream about that last night. Her Alter didn't know who her family was so she answered based off that. "I was raised in the system, so I'm gonna go with no. Next question?"

"How old are you?" Jeremy wanted to know this because there was just something about Blair that gave her an air of being wiser than her years portrayed.

Blair thought this was an odd question but answered it anyway. "Twenty-one."

Jeremy didn't say anything else about that and led her upstairs to the kitchen. "Come and meet the rest of the Pack. There is a lot you must learn."

"Will the question of why the hell a Werewolf decided to attack a rave going to be answered?" Blair asked as they went up the stairs. "Or are we not like secretive or something?"

"Humans can't know of our existence," Clay answered at the top of the stairs. He looked at her like he didn't trust her, because, well, he didn't. She was even more of an anomaly than Elena was and he didn't like that one bit.

"I figured that was the case. You guys didn't seem too keen on letting anyone see us last night." Blair sat at the large wooden table in the center of the kitchen and pulled up the sleeve from her shirt. It was a little big on her and must have belonged to Elena since she was the only other woman there.

Elena moved to sit beside her. "Hi, I'm Elena. If you give me your sizes I can go into town and pick you up some things today."

"Blair," she answered. "And that'd be great. Did any of my clothes survive last night?"

"Just your jacket," Elena answered. "Everything else, no."

Blair didn't get a chance to say anything else because the rest of the Pack filed into the kitchen and introduced themselves in turn. There was Antonio, Pete, Logan, and lastly…Nick.

When Nick walked into the kitchen and saw Blair sitting there, he was taken aback a bit. To say there was an instant attraction would be an understatement. Of course it wouldn't be the first time he'd been attracted to someone but this…this was a little bit different. "Hi," he extended his hand. "I'm Nick Sorrentino."

Blair cleared her throat a little before shaking his hand because she felt something stirring inside as well but blamed it on the Wolf. "Blair Han."

Pete looked at her in amazement. "Damn, I can't believe you're alive. No lady, other than Elena, has ever lived."

"What can I say? I'm a survivor." Blair shrugged like it was nothing, because to her it was. This really was no big deal to her at all because in her Reality, she was a Werewolf. Clearly the rules were different here but a Wolf is a Wolf is a Wolf. In other words, the music may be different but it's the same old dance.

Blair looked around the table and found all eyes were on her, studying her. "So…who's gonna be the one to give me the lo-down?"

Nick instantly answered. "I will." He then realized his place and looked at Jeremy. "If that's alright with you?"

Jeremy figured Blair would be less likely to try and leave the Pack if she had a connection with someone in it. Initially he thought that would be Elena but since it happened to be Nick, he wasn't going to stand in the way of that. "Of course." Jeremy turned to Blair. "Nick will be in charge of you. Any questions you have or training that needs to be done, he will be responsible. And in case it hasn't been made clear yet, you are not allowed to leave Stonehaven until further notice."

A part of Blair wanted to put up a fight about this but the Alter side of her didn't. The Alter side of her just kept feeling like they finally belonged and went with that. "Fine. But you're all crazy if you think I'm going to sleep in that cage again. I may be a Wolf but I'll be damned if I'm treated like a dog."

Pete pointed at her and chuckled. "I like this one." His cellphone went off at that moment and after checking it, he left the table. "That's my cue. I'm gonna try and catch up with the rest of the tour. You know where to find me."

"I'm heading out, too." Logan left the table as well and waved briefly goodbye to the others since they already said their verbal goodbyes the night before.

Blair paid no mind to their leaving and just proceeded to eat what was placed in front of her.

"I'll be leaving soon as well." Elena almost changed her mind thanks to Blair surviving the change but the last thing she wanted was to be at Stonehaven.

"Am I shooting off 'run away' vibes or something? Because I'm here and now everyone's leaving." Blair meant it as a joke but when Nick said, "Quite the opposite," she paused for a moment then smiled before clearing her throat.

"There was a Mutt problem but it has been taken care of," Jeremy informed her.

Blair swallowed the large bite of food before asking, "What's a Mutt?"

"A Wolf that doesn't belong to the Pack," Clay answered, keeping a close eye on Blair. He was still a bit suspicious about her.

Blair set her food down and looked at Jeremy with a confused expression. "Are you saying there's only one Pack?"

"In America," Elena chimed in. "There are other Packs in other countries, but if you're not Pack then you're a Mutt and aren't allowed to settle down in one place."

Blair was having difficulty processing this. "Let me get this straight…you either join the Pack, which from what I've seen so far is pretty small, or you're forced to be nomadic and essentially have no life? And on top of all that, no humans are allowed to know of our existence and female Wolves are rare as hell?" She waved her hands out in front of her a bit. "Am I getting that right?"

Jeremy placed his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers before nodding. "Basically, yes. But there is more to it than simply that. There is a lot you need to learn and understand."

"I'll tell you something I don't understand – What's to stop a group of so-called Mutts from making a Pack of their own?" Blair looked around the table, expecting an answer.

Jeremy didn't want to drive her away not only because she was Pack now, but because she was the only other female Werewolf in existence, so he tried to be vague about it. "We make sure that doesn't happen. There are rules."

There was just something in the way he said it that made Blair shoot back, "You mean you kill anyone who doesn't obey?" She scoffed and stood from the table. "Forget what I said before – I'm not staying here."

Blair went for the exit but found Clay standing there with crossed arms to block her. "I've taken down bigger than you, bucko. Now move."

"I don't think so." Clay was pretty firm about this.

Jeremy left his seat and went over to Blair in hopes of smoothing things over – especially when she started growling at Clay. "How about a compromise? Allow Nick to teach you our ways and if you still do not wish to stay, then we won't stop you."

Blair looked from Clay, to Jeremy, to Nick, then back to Jeremy before answering. "Fine. But in the meantime, while you may be their Alpha, you're not mine – Not until I see you deserve it."

Clay stepped forward and was about to give her a piece of his mind but stopped when Jeremy held out his hand to keep him from saying or doing anything.

Jeremy looked Blair over in interest. "You know, it's a bit funny – you speak as if you've been in a Pack of some sort before."

There was no way in hell she was going to tell them about the Spell or how she was a Wolf in her Reality or anything like that, so instead she said, "I was in a gang when I was a teenager. Does that count?" The answer must have sufficed because the expression on Jeremy's face pretty much said to her 'that explains a lot'.

* * *

Elena left Stonehaven after picking some things up for Blair in town, along with a cellphone that already had the Pack's numbers programmed in it. When Blair pointed out that Elena seemed pretty confident that she was going to stay with the Pack, Elena countered by telling her it was better to be safe than sorry.

Now it was time for Nick's first training lesson. Blair went outside with him wearing a black tanktop and grey sweatpants that she rolled up to the knee and a pair of sneakers. She tried not to stare at Nick who was shirtless and stretching. Blair felt that weird stirring again that was like instant attraction mixed with something deeper and it was hard to wrap her head around what it was because she'd never felt anything quite like it before.

While suppressing whatever it was, she cleared her throat and went over to him. "What's first on the agenda?"

Nick didn't show it, but he was feeling the same stirring inside that she was. He took a moment to look her over before saying, "Normally we'd start with learning to Change, but since there has been an increase in hunter activity lately thanks to the Mutt. The Wolf's been killed but we'll still start with something else." Nick shook himself out, saying, "You told Clay you've taken people down before. Show me."

Blair laughed a bit because she thought this was a little preposterous. "You want me to fight you?"

"You need to be able to protect yourself in case a Mutt ever comes after you," Nick answered and waved his hands for her to come towards him. "Let's see what you got, little lady."

"You may be a foot-ish taller than me but that doesn't make me little." Blair cracked her knuckles a bit. "That just makes you freakishly tall."

Nick chuckled at that before charging first. He started with an easy enough punch which Blair instantly deflected. He had to block her retaliation and found she knew more than he thought she did and stepped it up. It wasn't long before Blair had flipped Nick onto his back and straddled him with her hand to his throat. Only it wasn't just her hand, she had changed it into a claw and felt it pressing into his neck.

Nick looked up at Blair in shock, mild fear, awe, and a bit of arousal. "What are you?"

"Let's fine out," Blair answered with a grin before getting off him – her hand back to normal at this point. "I've also had self defense training. It came useful with handsy foster fathers." She was referring to her Alter's life with that statement and some of the memories made her stomach churn.

Nick hopped to his feet and went over to her. "You're taking all this better than anyone else I've known – even Elena. How are you not freaking out right now?"

Blair answered in a way that she hoped would satisfy his curiosity and cease any more questions about it. "Some people believe in God – I believed in myths, monsters, and legends. Finding out that Werewolves exist in this Reality is the second best thing that's happened to me in my existence here."

Nick still thought she was taking it better than she should have, but didn't press further on the matter and instead caught what she said about Werewolves being the second best. That statement intrigued him. "Oh, yeah? What's the first?"

Blair looked him over before looking up at him with an impish grin on her face. "I'll let you know."

Meanwhile, Jeremy stood at the window inside the house and watched Nick practice with Blair. He crossed his arms as a million different thoughts filtered through his mind.

Antonio joined him and spoke what he was thinking, figuring Jeremy was thinking the same thing. "There's something different about her and not just where the Bite is concerned. She –she is taking this too well. It's unsettling."

"I agree," Jeremy replied, not taking his eyes off the sparring match. "It is almost as if she has been through this before." He looked back to Antonio before continuing, "I know that is not possible, but there was no fear in her eyes when the Change took over – at a faster rate than even Elena, I must add." Jeremy looked back to the pair outside that were now both on their backs and laughing. "When Blair was put in the cage, I would swear her scent was Wolf before the Change even happened."

"She is an anomaly, that is for certain." There was something weighing on Antonio's mind at that moment, especially since he noticed the instant connection between Blair and his son. "What are we going to do about her? Is she a threat to our Pack?"

Jeremy moved away from the window as he answered. "I do not believe so, but I would rather she stay within the Pack. Seeing the connection between her and your son shouldn't make that very difficult."

"The same thing happened with Elena and Clay, but she did not stay." Antonio didn't mean to undermine Jeremy's words, but he felt it had to be said.

"True, but I have a feeling Blair will be different." He brought Antonio back to the window and pointed towards Blair and Nick who were back to sparring again. "Elena has always been at odds with her Wolf, but look at Blair – look at her eyes. There is no doubt there. She is embracing her new reality, not fighting it. Blair will not leave, I am certain of this."

Antonio left that topic alone and ventured onto another. "What if it's discovered we have another female Wolf in our Pack? The other Packs might feel envious and try to claim her."

Jeremy wasn't worried about this in the least. In fact, he answered a bit smugly, "It would be interesting to see them try."

* * *

That night after the evening meal, Blair sat out on the back patio and looked up at the sky. Since being let out of the cage that morning this was the only alone time she had except for bathroom and changing, but even then she felt like someone was always nearby. What was Blair going to do? Run? Well, okay, that was a possibility but that would make her a Mutt or they'd try and kill her. Blair learned about Mutts that day, too, and how one was terrorizing the town – the same one that Bit her – but it was dead now so there wasn't anything to worry about. At least, that's what she was told.

Blair craned her neck a bit to make sure no one was around. She didn't feel anyone close by and with a bit of focus she could hear the others in the house, so she decided to do something a _little_ bit crazy. Blair slowly and quietly moved off the patio and once she was out of sight of the windows, she stripped. Once all her clothes were off she began the Change. The pain of turning into a Wolf was something she was quite familiar with and truth be told, it didn't really bother her anymore. What was a thrill was that she could control her Wolf – be it whenever she wanted. Blair wasn't tied to the full moon in this Reality and that made her feel free.

Her bones cracked and changed as the Wolf took form and after shaking out her fur a bit, Blair took off running. Her vision was different as this kind of Wolf which took a little getting used to, but the surge of power, the speed, the strength, the Wolf itself was like being home. It was ironic since it was home that she wanted a break from, but still, this felt right.

Blair started out in a random direction but when the wind blew, a scent led her elsewhere. It was slightly familiar but one thing was certain – there was blood. Blair picked up her speed and slowed down when she reached the entrance to Stonehaven. This is where she found the source of the scent. Her Wolf snarled at the sight of Pete's lifeless body. He was battered and bruised and the scent of blood definitely came from him.

At the sounds of others approaching, Blair stood protectively near the body in case anyone or anything tried to mess with him. True, she did only meet him that morning but he was Pack and that meant something to her – always had, always will.

Her snarling ceased when she saw it was Nick and Antonio coming towards her. She allowed herself to change back into a human so she could explain. On all fours on the ground, with her long black hair in front of her to cover as much as possible she said, "It wasn't me. I didn't do this. It wasn't me."

Nick had taken off his jacket and wrapped it around Blair to cover her. Once it was on, he helped her to her feet.

It was Antonio who said, "We know." He pointed at his son, "Don't let her out of your sight. I'll get the others."

Blair looked back to Pete's body and cried, "Why?"

Nick wasn't sure what she was asking. "Why what?"

Blair sobbed, "Why is it no matter where I go, death always follows?"

Nick wrapped his arms around Blair and held her close. "You didn't do this, Blair. It's not your fault."

Suddenly Blair's tears stopped and she was filled with an anger she hadn't felt in a long time. She pulled back to say to Nick. "I want to find who did this to him, Nick. I want to find them and rip out their hearts."

Nick wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from her. She didn't even know Pete and yet wanted to avenge him so badly. It awed him a bit. "Why?"

Blair locked eyes with Nick when she answered, "He's **Pack**."

Nick was doubting Blair's stance before where the Pack was concerned but upon hearing her declaration, he wasn't doubting her now.

* * *

End Episode 1


	2. You do you, Clay

When Blair decided to take a 'vacation' from her Reality, she didn't think she'd end up in a place with just as many supernatural problems of her own. The whole Werewolf thing was _very_ different in this Reality and technically she shouldn't even have survived getting Bitten. Elena was the only other female Werewolf _**in existence**_. Blair knew why she survived, well she could guess anyway. It's because she was a Werewolf in her own Reality and Blair figured that transferred over somehow and allowed her to survive the Bite. Long story short, it is quite a challenge for Blair to be a part of a Pack – of _the_ Pack of the United States – and not make references to her own Werewolf existence in her own Reality. Blair felt it was safer for her to keep her trap shut about it, so that's what she did.

Despite her reservations about being a part of the Pack, Blair didn't try to leave it. How they treated Mutts who weren't in a pack was not something Blair wanted to experience for herself. And, honestly, if there weren't other female Wolves anywhere else in existence – besides Elena – then Blair wanted someone to have her back in case the Mutts got some inappropriate ideas thrusted upon their mind.

All that was definitely the main reason why Blair stayed with the Pack, but there was another – Nick. Ever since Blair met him she felt the attraction as a human and he drove her Wolf wild. It was really bizarre, in a way, because Blair had never felt things separately between Wolf and Human before – they were always one in the same. But her Wolf, her Wolf had thoughts and feelings all of its own. It was almost like dealing with another Life inside the thousand-year-old Breakfast Club that was her mind. The distinct differences between the two was something Blair would have to manage, but when it came to Nick they were in full agreement. She was still trying to figure out what it meant and was trying to decide whether or not it would be fair to connect with someone like that knowing she wouldn't be in this Reality forever.

In light of current events, Blair didn't think too much about it. Someone was coming after the Pack and they killed Pete to send a message. When Blair found Pete's body she felt so angry and wanted to kill whoever did it. Even as Blair stood with the rest of the Pack in the study at Stonehaven for Pete's memorial, that feeling hadn't gone away.

While Jeremy and the others all shared their memories of Pete, Blair felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She sniffed the air lightly and didn't like what she smelled – it unnerved her. Before Blair could ask if anyone else smelled it, a Wolf howled outside in the distance.

Nick's face hardened when he heard that. "I'm betting it's the Mutt that killed Pete."

Elena was not too pleased about this either. "Son of a bitch is taunting us."

Jeremy sprung into action, saying, "Antonio, you, Nick, and Logan come from the East," he looked at Clay and Elena, "We'll come from the West."

"What about me?" There was no way in hell Blair was just going to stand around there and do nothing, but that was apparently exactly what Jeremy wanted her to do.

"Stay here," he ordered and ran out of the house with the others.

Blair _really_ wanted to disobey him but chose to pick her battles, so she stayed behind.

* * *

While the rest of the Pack was tracking down the Mutt in the woods, Blair went down to the basement to get a refresher about the Mutts. After Elena came back to Stonehaven she gave Blair a quick study session about the active Mutts and explained how they had items which carried their scents. Blair decided to get a whiff of each and every one of them in case she came across it again. Well, that and she wanted to know if any of the scents were the one she caught before – they weren't.

Blair was still downstairs reading a Mutt's dossier when Elena came down the stairs. "I'm guessing you didn't find the Mutt?"

"We lost the scent," Elena explained. "Tonight, we mourn Pete – Tomorrow we hunt."

"More like you all hunt while I'm stuck in the house," Blair countered as she put the dossier folder back where she found it. "I know I'm newly Bitten but I'm not useless."

"No one ever said you were." Elena sighed and walked over to her. "Do you truly not understand how rare you are? Before me no other woman had survived the Bite, _ever_ , and now there is you. The other Packs and the Mutts know about me already, but they don't know you exist. When they find out…I can't even imagine what they'll try and plan. We need to keep you safe, Blair, for as long as possible."

"I can take care of myself," Blair firmly answered back. "I've been doing it for a long time and, Werewolves or not, this isn't any different." She waved her hand to the Mutt pile. "He's not any of these. I felt his presence in the woods, smelled him, before he howled. I was hoping it'd be one of these guys, but it's not."

Elena needed a moment to process what she was just told. She crossed her arms a bit and stepped closer to her. "What – what are you saying? You caught his scent while in the house?"

Blair looked at her blankly and blinked a few times. "Yeah, didn't any of you?"

Elena shook her head. "No, not even I have a sense of smell that strong and I'm the best tracker."

"Guess I'm not your typical Werewolf." Blair was trying to make light of her words, but she was starting to think it was true.

"Perhaps you're not." Elena returned to the stairs as she said, "Come back up when you're done. Jeremy wants to see you."

Blair drummed her fingers on the table for a moment before going upstairs as well. She found Jeremy sitting in front of the fireplace in his study with a glass of whiskey in his hand. "You rang?"

"Ah, Blair." Jeremy rose to his feet and held out his arm to the chair across from his. "Please, take a seat."

Blair cautiously went around to the chair and sat. "Why do I feel like I'm about to get scolded for something?"

"Nothing like that." Jeremy refilled his glass. "Would you like a drink?"

Blair shook her head. "No, thanks."

Jeremy didn't debate her decision with her and returned to his seat. "There are some things I would like to discuss with you, Blair."

"And here I thought we already covered it all." Blair saw how he wasn't amused at being interrupted, so she added in, "Sorry," and kept quiet.

Jeremy bowed his head slightly to acknowledge and accept the apology. "Blair, you are an anomaly among our kind, even more so than Elena. True, she was the first female to ever survive the Bite, but not only did you survive but your Wolf came quicker than any other I have ever witnessed. It should have taken days, but for you it was only hours. You Change faster than any of us, you're stronger than expected, and there are times you have moved so fast you are practically a blur. It is almost as if you are the next stage in our evolutionary chain."

Blair shifted in her seat because she was feeling uncomfortable in more ways than one. "I don't mean to be rude but…So?"

"I don't understand how that's possible. There is something in your blood that has allowed for these enhancements." Jeremy set his glass down on the table beside him. "If an Alpha from another Pack discovers you, I fear they will plot to take you away for breeding a more powerful generation of Wolf."

Blair scooted a bit and leaned forward on her knees. "Let me get this straight – Because I'm…different than Elena and everyone else abilities wise that means there's a target on my back because some rival Wolf gang would want to kidnap me and make me give them litters of stronger puppies, some of which might be successfully female-born ones?"

Jeremy nodded because that was essentially the point he was trying to convey. This world was dangerous enough as it was and for Blair it just became even more so.

Blair leaned back and slouched in her chair. "Well, that's nothing new. I already figured something like that would happen."

Jeremy hadn't expected her mind to go to that dark place. "You already anticipated this?"

She nodded. "Yep. And if I'm to be honest, that's part of the reason why I'm choosing to stay with the Pack. I'm hoping you guys, and gal, won't let that happen to me."

"We protect our own," Jeremy vowed. "I am sorry you have to deal with this added danger. If we knew why you were different then perhaps we would have a better chance at protecting you."

"I can't answer that." That was partly true. Blair couldn't answer that – well, she _could_ but she wasn't going to. "But, Jeremy, I'm not going to spend the rest of my days locked up in Stonehaven. I want to help find the Mutt that killed Pete and I want to make him pay. If that means my existence is discovered, then so be it. I refuse to live my life as a prisoner."

Jeremy took a deep breath in thought. He didn't like he was about to agree to, but it was better than her trying to venture out on her own. "Fine, but there is a condition."

"I figured as much." Blair sat up straighter and waved her hand. "Shoot."

"Whenever you leave this house, even if it's to go out for a run, someone is to always be with you. You cannot go anywhere alone. This is my condition." Jeremy wasn't sure if she would accept his terms or not.

Blair thought for a moment. "Do I get to pick who goes with me?"

Jeremy nodded. "If that person is available and agreeable, then yes."

Blair wasn't too keen on having a shadow all the time but if it meant she'd actually be able to do _something_ then so be it. She extended her hand to Jeremy for a shake on the agreement. "Deal."

* * *

The next morning, Blair sat on the round table in the foyer with her legs crossed in the Lotus Position, her hands on her knees, and her eyes closed. She wasn't meditation per se, but she was focusing.

Nick came down the stairs leading into the foyer and slowed his pace when he saw what she was doing. "Uh, what are you up to?"

"I'm getting a handle on my senses. The sooner I can tune them to the setting of my choosing the better off I'll be." Blair opened her eyes and spun around on the table to face him. "Because right now I'm hearing pretty much everything and it's driving me bonkers. And not just the stuff in the house like Antonio singing in the shower, or Logan in the kitchen, but like _way_ out there. I can hear Clay convincing Elena to go for a run and Jeremy talking to the Sherriff lady. I want to turn it _off_."

Nick knew she was enhanced but didn't realize it was that much. "I'll leave you to it." He started walking away then paused and turned back around to ask, "You didn't hear what I was…"

Blair finished his question for him as she closed her eyes again. "What you were doing in your room? Oh yeah."

Nick – for the first time in a long time – felt embarrassed. "In that case, I hope you figure out how to turn it off soon."

Blair burst out laughing when he left then got back to focusing. As she did her meditation-like thing it was almost like she was conversing with her Wolf. In her mind she could see herself and her Wolf sitting across from one another, developing an understanding and then suddenly the Wolf from her own Reality came into view and joined them. When the three 'versions' of herself came together as one, Blair found her understanding and control.

Finally, Blair opened her eyes with a deep exhale of relief and looked at the clock to find a few _hours_ had gone by. "Whoa."

"You're telling me," Nick said from the doorway with a bowl of popcorn in his hand. "I was wondering if you'd ever break out of that trance of yours." He set the bowl down and helped Blair off the table. "Did it work?"

"I think so," Blair said proudly. "My hearing is still better than it was when I was a human, but I think it's more around your guys' normal level, so it's so much better."

"You're an interesting specimen," Nick teased with a grin.

Blair placed her hands on her shoulders, saying, "Oh, I'm more than that. I'm a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in an _awesome_ rack."

Nick checked her out with a bit of a smirk. "No argument here." When Blair punched him in the arm for that, he rubbed the spot with an 'ow' expression. "You think you could work on lessening your strength next? Because that would be _great_."

Logan joined them in the foyer. "Jeremy wants us in the Great Room."

Just then, Elena walked in with her jeans on but unzipped and only pressing her shirt over her breasts. "Uh, hi," Blair greeted, wondering why Elena took the time to put on her pants but didn't bother with her shirt. "Apparently Jeremy wants us all in the Great Room."

Elena nodded to indicate she heard her. "Just let me get changed first." She darted upstairs without another word.

Blair shot her a thumbs-up then gasped and shot her hand over her eyes when Clay walked in with all of his clothes in his hands and nothing on his body. She couldn't help but spread her fingers a little bit to get a peek and when she did, she said, "Oh wow."

Nick turned Blair around so she'd stop checking Clay out then said to his Packmate. "Did you and Elena have a nice run?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clay asked gruffly.

Nick took the moment to tease a bit. "You know, a bit of frolicking in the woods. Maybe some nuzzling."

"We ran," Clay answered firmly. "Period."

As Clay went up the stairs, Nick called out, "Hey, listen, I don't mind when Elena romps around the house naked, but please put the clothes on."

Blair took another peek as Clay stomped up the stairs. "Or not. You do you, Clay!"

Nick went over to Blair and guided her away from the bottom of the staircase. "Let's get to the Great Room, shall we?"

Blair quickly turned around, saying with a smile, "Actually I think I forgot something upstairs." She started to dart up there and laughed when Nick wrapped his arms around her, saying,

"Oh no you don't." Nick proceeded to carry her out of the foyer, not about to risk her running off to get another look at Clay.

Logan shook his head and laughed because he'd never seen Nick like this before and it was already clear that he was falling and falling hard.

* * *

Blair sat on the arm of the sofa next to Nick while Jeremy addressed the Pack members present in the Great Room.

"I sent Antonio to tie up the loose ends from Pete's disappearance, and bring the other families up to speed."

Blair raised her hand to ask a question. "I'm sorry, families?"

"Wolf families that are allies of the Pack," Nick explained. "They're not directly Pack, but they're not rogue Mutts either."

Blair had an 'ah, that makes sense' expression on her face and went back to paying attention to Jeremy.

Now that Jeremy had the full attention again, he continued. "In the meantime, we have two Mutts to deal with. For starters, we need to identify the dead one from the rave and find out who made him." He looked to Nick, Blair, and Logan. "Nick, you and Logan take Blair to the flophouse where he lived. Turn it upside down. Wipe it clean when you're finished."

Nick understood and accepted the assignment. "Got it."

"I'm expected to speak at a psychology conference tonight and tomorrow." Logan needed Jeremy to know he wouldn't be available for this.

Nick didn't find issue with this. "Blair and I can handle the flophouse."

Jeremy would have felt better of two were present to keep an eye on Blair, but he believed Nick wouldn't allow anything to happen to her. "Okay. I want you to be very careful. All of you." He walked around his desk to address them better. "We thought the threat was over when the first Mutt died. And Pete paid for our mistake. We know better now." Jeremy sat on the edge of his desk. "Clay, I want you and Elena to go into town. Assess the mood of the locals. More importantly, I want to see if you can pick of the scent of the new killer."

Once again, Blair raised her hand to speak. "No offense to Elena, but my sense of smell is better than hers. Shouldn't I be the one to track him down?"

Jeremy's answer to this was simple. "I would rather we not advertise your existence. Elena is more than capable of picking up the scent. You are to go with Nick."

Blair decided not to make this one of her battles so she answered with, "Fine," and left it at that.

Jeremy turned his attention back to Clay and Elena. "When you find the new killer, I want him alive. Are we clear?" He looked at Clay. " **Clay**?!"

Clay perked his head up at the tone. "We're clear."

* * *

Later that day, Blair entered the flophouse with Nick and instantly cringed. "It smells like death in here. Not recent death either."

"You're right on that," Nick replied and started going through a pile of things in the corner. After a minute, he realized Blair hadn't moved from her spot. "You okay?"

"What?" Blair cleared her throat. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…I hadn't put any thought into the guy that Bit me. Those who are Bitten don't take on the traits of those they were Bit by, do they?"

Nick went over to Blair and placed his hand on her arm in a comforting manner. "It doesn't work like that. You have nothing to worry about."

Blair believed him and felt better for it. "Nothing to worry about in that department anyway."

Nick chuckled a little. "Again, you're right." Now they both started going through the things to try and find a form of identification for the dead Mutt. As they did this, Nick started up a conversation. "I know you said you didn't have any family that you know of, but what about a boyfriend? Girlfriend?"

"Neither," Blair answered honestly. "Not anymore, anyway. I had both at one point, but it didn't work out."

Nick was intrigued by this. "What happened?"

"My girlfriend died and my boyfriend and I couldn't figure out how to be in a relationship without her so we broke up. She was the glue that held us together." Blair let out a deep exhale and got on the floor to see what was under the bed.

"I'm sorry." Nick felt stupid for saying that but he wasn't sure what else to say.

"Not your fault." Blair grunted a bit because she was trying to reach for something but couldn't get it. "It was a long time ago." She gave up trying to reach it and got to her feet. "There's something way under there. Mind using your Go-Go-Gadget arms to get it?"

Nick chuckled at her description. "Sure." He got to the floor and easily reached the pair of shoes that were stuck back against the wall. "Looks like we've found a clue." He showed Blair how they were stamped with the name of a prison inside then got back to turning the place upside down. After that was done, they cleaned up and left, Nick calling Jeremy with an update as they did.

* * *

Later at Stonehaven, the Pack regrouped in the basement to go over their findings. "We found these at the dead Mutt's flophouse." Nick set the pair of shoes on the table. "Prison issue."

Clay picked up one of the shoes. "How do you know?"

"On the inside they're stamped Hixon Correctional Facility," Nick replied. "Turns out to be one of Tennessee's finer establishments."

Elena looked the shoe over. "Which means our man escaped from prison."

"That's what we figured, yeah." Blair leaned back against the table with crossed arms.

There was something Clay didn't get. "But why keep the shoes?"

"He's a collector," Jeremy stated. "The shoes are a trophy of his escape, his triumph over the penal system." He placed three printouts of mugshots on the table. "These three men each broke out of Hixon."

Blair saw the middle picture and her hand shot out at it. "That one. It's him, I know it. I – I literally bumped into him outside the rave. Not many people have the gift of giving me the heebie-jeebies, but he did. He's the Mutt."

Elena looked at the picture and confirmed his identity. "She's right. That's the one from the rave."

Jeremy took the paper and read off the information. "Scott Brandon. He was serving a life sentence for a string of brutal murders in 2009."

Nick scoffed incredulously. "Marsten and Cain are purposely converting these psychos into Werewolves."

Elena still felt like there was something missing. "That doesn't track. Cain's not smart enough to make his own Pack, and Marstern's the ultimate loner."

Blair didn't know these Mutts personally, but still she said, "Maybe he was, but apparently he's not a lone Wolf anymore."

Clay referred to something he and Elena heard Marsten say earlier that day. "Marsten was talking about using a warehouse, which means they've probably got an operation going."

Jeremy started going over what they knew so far. "First, they convert new Mutts. Second, they put the spotlight on us so that is restricts our movement. Third, they attack us directly, murdering Pete."

Clay did not like the situation they were in one bit. "We're not dealing with the typical run-of-the-mill Mutts here, these are cold-blooded killers. If they were to take us out, it'd be chaos.

Nick added in from there, "And without the Pack enforcing the Law, these Mutts can run wild."

Jeremy finished the thought off. "And in time, our society would be revealed to the outside world. And man would do what man does best – _war_. And it would not stop until one side or the other was completely wiped out."

Blair laughed nervously because she was starting to worry just a _little_ bit. "We're not going to let that happen, right? I mean, we can't let that happen."

Clay was the one who answered her on that. "There's only one way to take out these Mutts - We bury them." He looked at both Blair and Elena. "Are you ready for that?"

Elena nodded. "If that's what it takes." She looked to Blair to see what her answer would be.

Blair didn't want to kill anyone, but if it was turning into kill or be killed she knew what side she wanted to be on. "We gotta do what we gotta do. There's no shame in that – I'm in."

Jeremy wished it didn't have to come to this, but he was pleased to have both Blair and Elena on board. "It's time to bring the fight to them."

* * *

The Pack, except for Logan and Antonio who were dealing with other things, went to the Motel where Clay and Elena tracked the new killer Mutt to. They stood across the parking lot as Jeremy gave out the instructions, "We'll go in quietly. Clay, you and Elena go through the front door, Nick, Blair and I will go in through the adjoining room."

Blair held her hand a little as she spoke. "And if the Mutts are still there…?"

Jeremy's answer hadn't changed on that front. "We take them alive."

"We'll try." At Jeremy's 'excuse me' look, he added in, "We'll try hard." Clay didn't plan on trying very hard though.

Now that the plan was made, the Pack made their way across the parking lot to the second floor of the motel.

As they made their way to the motel room doors, Blair had a bad feeling. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something didn't feel right. Nick opened the adjoining room door with no issue but still Blair felt it, perhaps she even smelled it. Clay was about to open the other door but Blair went over and stopped him. "Wait."

Clay didn't appreciate her breaking protocol. "What are you doing?"

"Believe it or not, I think I smell gunpowder." She pushed him aside and when they were all out of the way, Blair opened the door and suddenly a shotgun went off. It blasted a huge hole in the door. Blair pointed to the hole and said, "That would have been you."

Nick rushed through the adjoining room door and went straight to Blair. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered honestly. "My ears a ringing a bit, though."

Clay looked at Blair in disbelief. "You smelled the gun powder in the shells? How?"

"I'm a mystery wrapped in an enigma," Blair answered, to which Nick added in,

"Wrapped in an _awesome_ rack." Nick quickly realized this wasn't the time or the place to have said that so he cleared his throat and said something else.

Jeremy got back to the matter at hand. "The whole town probably heard that gun go off. We have to move."

Elena was about to do that but saw something on the table. In a glass was a finger with a skull ring – It was Pete's.

While the others were going over that fact, Blair noticed something else on the wall. "Uh, Elena, I think this message is for you…"

Elena turned her attention to the wall and saw the message that was carved into it – 'I'm coming for my scrapbook, bitch'. She felt her blood boiling a bit and seethed, "Let him try."

* * *

End Episode 2


	3. Argh!

Blair sat down in the cellar with Jeremy and the others to go over the whole Mutt ganging up on the Pack situation. She sat on an empty part of the table while the others stood around it. So far they knew that Cain and Marsten were the ones turning people into an army of Mutts – Scratch that, they were turning _psychotic murderers_ into an army of Mutts. Like Jeremy said, Cain and Marsten were coming after the Pack with both barrels.

While the menfolk were discussing the problem, Blair flipped through one of the Psycho's scrapbook of all the women that were killed. When she came upon a particular article, she froze. There was an all too familiar face in the article of a college student being tortured then murdered. "Elena…" Blair gasped. The young woman in the article was Elena Gilbert. At least the Elena Gilbert in this Reality.

Elena, as in Elena Michaels of the Pack, heard her name being said and turned her attention to Blair. "What?"

Blair didn't even hear that Elena had responded to her. She pushed the scrapbook aside before getting off the table and darting upstairs. The last thing she wanted was for any of them to see her cry and believe she was weak because of it or anything like that.

"What was that about?" Clay thought Blair was acting weirder than normal.

Jeremy took the scrapbook and saw the Elena Gilbert article. "I don't think our Elena was who she was referring to." He turned it around for Nick, Elena, and Clay to see.

"Damn. She must have known her." Nick gestured towards the stairway and didn't even have to get a word out since Jeremy gave him permission to go after Blair.

Blair was pacing back and forth in the foyer when Nick found her. She wiped away her tears, saying, "I'll be down in a minute."

"We saw the article. How did you know her?" Nick went over to Blair and placed a comforting hand on her arm.

It was weird for Blair because her Alter didn't know Elena Gilbert's Alter but the pain of knowing what happened to her was very present. Blair didn't want to lie to Nick but she couldn't tell him the whole truth either. She came up with something, though. "She was my friend but we lost touch and – and I didn't even know she was dead, let alone murdered. I wasn't prepared for that."

Nick hugged Blair, wishing there was something more he could do for her. "I'm sorry about your friend. Are you going to be okay?"

Blair closed her eyes as she hugged Nick and after a moment or two she pulled back from the embrace. "That psycho Mutt killed my friend and a member of my Pack. If I didn't already want them dead before, I sure as hell do now. Once they've stopped breathing, _then_ I'll be okay."

Nick didn't think that was very healthy, but he could understand it. "Let's get back to the others then."

Blair agreed to that and went back into the cellar with him. As they joined Clay, Jeremy, and Elena they heard Jeremy state that he wasn't going to send anyone out to blindly chase after Marsten and Cain and that he sent word to Daniel Santos through Logan that he was willing to meet. While Blair didn't know a lot about this Santos character, she heard enough to make her believe he shouldn't be trusted. Apparently Nick felt the same way.

When Nick heard that Jeremy had agreed to the meet, he scoffed, "Santos doesn't talk so much as lie."

Jeremy was well aware of how Daniel Santos was. "He wants to trade information he has for reinstatement into the Pack. And I know he cannot be trusted, but I am at least willing to listen to what he has to say."

"Blair can't be here for that," Nick interjected. "If Santos finds out she exists then it's only a matter of time before everyone else does."

"Why are we even having this discussion?" Clay shot in, directed at Jeremy. "The last member of the Santos family to walk through our doors tried to kill you."

"Our backs are up against the wall here," Jeremy calmly replied. "I need something to smoke Marsten and his crew out. About Blair, I do agree with Nick – she cannot be present for this meet."

It was about time for Blair to say something since they've been talking about her like she wasn't sitting on the table right next to them. "How about you use me to smoke them out? If I'm so rare use me as bait and not have the meeting with the Santos guy."

"We've had this discussion already," Jeremy answered firmly. "We are keeping your existence a secret for as long as possible."

"Well it ain't gonna last forever, now is it?" Blair retorted. "Why not control the narrative?"

Clay scoffed at how nonchalant she was about this. "Do you have no care for your wellbeing at all?"

"That's actually not the first time someone has asked me something like that, although normally they call it a death-wish." Blair waved her hands like she was brushing something away. "That's neither here nor there. Anyway, _yes_ I do care about myself and _no_ I don't have a death-wish, but like I said – People are gonna find out about me sooner or later so why not control when it happens so we'll have a handle on the aftermath?" It may not be the smartest plan but letting a Mutt into their home who has a massive grudge against the Pack doesn't seem like a very smart plan either.

Elena wasn't going to let Blair do that. "Let me be the bait." She placed her hand on the scrapbook, saying emotionally, "Let me draw this one out. I'm the 'bitch' that he wants."

Jeremy looked between Blair and Elena, saying, "No. We will find them together and when the meet happens, Blair, you are not to be present. Understood?"

Blair grumbled a bit before saying, "Fine. But when it's time to kill the Scrapbook-Psycho I'm going to be there."

"We better make sure you are prepared then." Jeremy looked to Clay. "You will be taking care of Blair's training session today."

"I've got it covered," Nick quickly interjected, feeling a bit territorial.

"I've seen how Blair spars with you," Jeremy answered, picking up on Nick's tone, "and now I want to see how she spars with Clay."

Blair looked at Clay and popped her lips. "The tiny Asian against the walking tree trunk? This is going to be fun."

* * *

Later that day, Blair went out into the back yard with Clay while Nick, Elena, and Jeremy spectated. Clay cracked his knuckles as he began the lesson. "The first step is to…" he was cut off when Blair leaped at him with a punch. Clay managed to dodge before impact and watched as she landed with a tumble then sprang back on her feet. "Are you not even going to listen to the simplest directions?"

"I'm more of a doer than a listener," Blair replied as she held up her fists and stood in a fighting stance.

Clay was honestly a bit pleased that he would be able to put Blair in her place more quickly than he anticipated. "Alright then." He pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside.

"Let's dance," Blair grinned and this time it was her turn to deflect his advances.

Nick was a bit jittery as he watched Blair and Clay duke it out. He was worried she was going to get hurt and when Clay had his arms around Blair, clearly expecting her to tap out, Nick wanted to intervene.

Jeremy could tell what was going through Nick's mind and said, "Don't interfere. Blair needs to learn how to get out of things herself. We won't always be there to protect her – _you_ won't always be there to protect her."

Nick wanted to refute, but he couldn't. Whether or not he liked it, he knew Jeremy was right. Blair needed to learn this on her own.

When Clay wrapped his arms around her, Blair needed a second to think. She didn't want to hurt him too badly so summoning up her fangs and driving them into his arm wouldn't be the best thing to do, so she needed to think.

"Don't hesitate," Clay said to Blair since she stopped reacting. "You hesitate, you die. Fight back."

A deep growl rumbled within Blair before she lifted her foot and drove her heel into the top of Clay's foot with all her Wolf strength. This made him grunt a bit and loosen his grip. She took that opening to drive her elbow into his ribs with the same strength. When Clay teetered back because of it, she kicked him in the gut then dropped to the ground and swung her leg to swipe out his.

This all made Clay fall back on the ground with a thud. He was about to jump back on his feet but Blair appeared on top of him with glowing yellow eyes and a clawed hand pressed into his chest over his heart. She was just starting to break the skin, clearly meaning business.

Jeremy hadn't seen Blair fight like this before. He assumed she must have been holding back when it came to Nick, which was part of the whole reason why he wanted to see her spar with someone else. When Blair pressed her clawed hand into Clay's chest, Jeremy called out, "Blair, that's enough!"

"I want to hear him say it," Blair growled and leaned closer to Clay. "Tell me I won."

Clay had never seen a Wolf's eyes like hers before. She was certainly something, that's for sure. He honestly believed she would rip his heart out if he didn't say what she wanted, so he said it. "You win…this time."

Blair's eyes and hand returned to normal. "I look forward to the next challenge." She got off him and went over to the others. "Are we done for today or…?"

Elena went over to Blair and looked at her hands. "How did you shift them so quickly?" Yes, Elena herself has shifted only her hands before but not to the extent of Blair's.

"I just did it." Blair shrugged like it was nothing and pointed towards the house. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm starving. May I?" When Jeremy nodded to give her permission, she darted inside.

Clay joined the group and pulled on his shirt. "You were right, Jeremy. Blair is faster and stronger than any other Wolf I've gone up against and I even think she was holding back. And her eyes – I've never seen Wolf eyes like that before."

"I've said it before and I will say it again – Blair is different. I truly believe she is the next stage of a Werewolf's evolution." Jeremy looked at them very seriously. "Which is another reason why we need to keep her safe within the Pack. I can already tell her first instinct is to sacrifice herself to save another. Let's make sure it never happens."

Their discussion was interrupted when the sound of a car pulling up out front with a couple siren blasts caught their attention.

Blair darted out the door saying, "It wasn't me! Whatever they're here for – I didn't do it." There were admittedly a bunch of times in the past where she did, so she just wanted to make it clear that this wasn't one of those times.

"Stay in the house," Jeremy said to Blair as he and Clay went to see what the Sherriff wanted this time.

Blair popped her lips again as she returned to the kitchen to finish her sandwich. That didn't stop her from listening in, though. Apparently some guy named Braxton was missing and they found his truck with blood in it near the Stonehaven property line. Seemed like Clay was a suspect because Braxton wanted to come to Stonehaven to have it out with him. Since there was a trail of blood leading from Braxton's truck to the property line it suggested proximity and thus Jeremy suggested they organize a search party.

When she heard Clay and Jeremy come back into the house, she took the last half of her sandwich with her and went to join them in the Great Room. "So, am I helping with the search party or am I stuck in the house?"

"Haven't decided yet," Jeremy answered honestly.

"This is all Marsten's doing," Elena interjected, "I know it. He must have heard Braxton running his mouth off in town, nabbed him, and dumped his truck."

"And hung it on us," Nick added in.

Blair swallowed a bite of her sandwich before saying, "How long do you think it'll be before someone thinks the Danvers clan is being framed? I mean, if y'all were really doing all this stuff, do they really think you'd leave the evidence just lying around?"

"You're part of this too now," Jeremy made sure to point that out.

"True," Blair answered with a bit of an impish grin, "but they don't know about me yet, so I don't exactly count, now do I?"

"We're digressing from the point here," Elena emotionally cut in. "Marsten didn't hang what happened on _us_ – he hung it on Clay."

Clay took a deep breath. "There's a real possibility that Braxton's body is out there. Mutts wouldn't leave him alive to tell the truth."

Jeremy was thinking the same thing. "Which is why we are allowing the police onto our property, and which is why we will help them look. If Braxton is here, this is the best chance for us to mitigate the situation when the body is found."

"So why not stall them?" Nick wanted to know. "Let me and Blair rip out there and see what's what."

"Not with the Deputy Dipshit keeping watch." Clay pointed this out like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Jeremy moved onto the next item on their list of concerns. "The police are going to get a search warrant for this house. And the last thing we need is anyone poking around in here. So we will help them." His tone made it clear that he expected them – all of them – to take part in the search party and left the room without another word.

Blair took the last bite of her sandwich before saying, "Looks like I'm going after all." She drummed her hands on her legs before clapping them together. "So! Who's going to be my babysitter this time?"

* * *

A whole bunch of people from town came up to Stonehaven to help with the search party, but clearly a couple of Braxton's friends didn't like the idea of Jeremy and the others assisting because once they saw them all standing there, he shouted out, "No way. No way!"

The Sherriff sighed a bit. "The Danvers family has offered to help with the search."

Braxton's buddy was pissed beyond words. He pointed firmly at Clay. "There is no way that he's going on this search."

Clay's reaction to this was calm. "This town has been through a lot. I'm just looking to help."

"Oh, yeah, you want to help?" Braxton's buddy shot back. "Why don't you help by making me not have to look at your face."

"Everyone just take a freaking chill pill," Blair interjected. "Jeeze Louise, we're here to help you find your friend. So instead of placing blame and bickering about it, how about we actually start doing what we came out here to do?"

The Sherriff didn't want this to get out of hand, despite the fact that the young woman had a point. "Everyone, stand down. We have a long day ahead of us."

Jeremy believed he had an idea to make this go more smoothly. "Sherriff Morgan, Clay and I have some family business we could attend to inside."

She appreciated that and nodded to indicate so.

Jeremy smiled briefly before going back into the house with Clay.

Now that that was settled, Sherriff Morgan addressed the crowd. She spoke loud enough for them all to hear. "Alright, everyone, here's how we're going to run this. We have a hundred-acre plot of land to cover. We're going to fan out. We're going to march it in a grid formation. Keep the person on either side of you within sight. If Michael Braxton is out there, we will find him. Let's move, people."

Blair walked with Nick and Elena when Braxton's buddy came over to them, saying, "I'm going to keep my eye on you. Just in case you decide to tamper with any evidence you may find." This guy was really started to piss Blair off and she was about to say something to him but stopped when Nick grabbed onto her arm with a 'don't do it' look on his face. After taking a deep breath, Blair calmed slightly but flipped Braxton's buddy the bird anyway.

Elena verbally answered to Braxton's buddy's words, "I was thinking the exact same thing about you, too."

* * *

Blair walked in the formation with one of the townspeople on one side of her and Nick on the other and Elena on the other side of him. It wasn't long before she smelled the stench of death. She needed to tell them so she looked at Nick and when he turned to her, she tapped on her ear to tell him to tune in. After getting a nod for a go ahead, she whispered, "He's dead. I can smell him. Pretty far from where we are based off how weak it is, but he's there."

Elena also tuned in and answered, "We need to take care of this or we're done."

"I got this," Blair replied and made herself fall with a cry.

Nick and Elena rushed over to her. "You okay?" Nick sounded genuinely concerned.

"If I don't call you after five minutes, do something to distract them," Blair whispered. "I tripped over something." She winced when Elena and Nick helped her to her feet.

"Can you walk on it?" Braxton's buddy – who Blair heard was named Travis – asked her.

"We're not too far from the house. I can make it back." Blair gave Nick and Elena a nod and started limping away while the others continued with the search. Once they were out of sight, Blair ran with everything she had to the source of the scent.

It didn't take her long to find Braxton's body. She gagged a bit at how strong the smell was now and the flies didn't help the scenario either. "Jeeze Louise," she muttered to herself before holding her hands out like she was weighing something. Which she was – She was weighing her options. "Carry him as Human or drag him as Wolf?" Blair decided on dragging him away as a Wolf since it'd be better to blame it on an animal instead of having there be evidence to suggest he was moved by a Human.

As Blair started to strip her clothes, she talked to Braxton's dead body. "Don't take this whole dragging you away thing personally. If we were in Mystic Falls one of my Vampire friends would compel this all away. _But_ we aren't in Mystic Falls and there aren't any Vampires here." She set her clothes aside and stopped in thought. "Holy crap…are there Vampires here? Naw, probably not. I would have been told about them already."

She ended her one-sided conversation as her body cracked and contorted into her Wolf. Blair shook on her fur before biting onto Braxton's clothing to pull him away from the Stonehaven property.

Unfortunately it took longer than five minutes – took six to be exact – so Nick started a fight to cause a distraction to by Blair more time and this resulted in the Sherriff telling everyone to go home because they were going to call in the State Police instead. During this phone call, Blair told Nick that she was headed back to the house only to be told to stay in the woods – Santos was there.

"Jeremy is okay with me being out here all alone? I already broke my agreement – something I _**never**_ do – by breaking off from a babysitter to deal with this." Blair doubted she was going to get away with much more.

"Jeremy understands," Nick replied, keeping his voice low. "Extenuating circumstances. But stay away, Blair. I'll call you when it's safe."

"Nick…" Blair sighed deeply when he hung up before she could even get her sentence out "Well what the hell am I supposed to do now?" It didn't take long for her to decide. She tapped into her inner child and picked up a broken tree branch. Blair pointed it at a nearby tree, exclaiming, "Argh! I shall protect me treasure from the scurvy likes of you!" She then proceeded to play her pirate game until she got the okay to go back to Stonehaven.

* * *

Clay waited for Blair outside because there was something he wanted to say to her. When she came into view, he raised his brow at how disheveled she looked – leaves in her messed up hair and everything. "What were you doing out there?"

Blair still had the branch with her and held it up with pride. "I was protecting me buried treasure, argh!" He looked at her like she was insane, so she cut the pirate act. "I was bored, sue me." Blair set the branch aside and headed towards the house.

Clay sidestepped to stop her. "Hold on a sec." He took a deep breath to muster up what he felt needed to be said. "You didn't have to deal with Braxton's body, but you did." She started talking before he could get to the point.

"It needed to be done to protect you and the Pack, of course I had to do it." Protecting her own was as crucial to her as breathing. "If you're going to give me crap about how I did it, don't worry. I changed into a Wolf so there wouldn't be any Human traces on him. It's off the property in a grove. Someone should stumble upon him eventually."

That wasn't what Clay was going to do. "That's not where I was going with this, Blair. I was going to thank you. I am thanking you."

Blair wasn't expecting that. "Oh, okay. Thanks aren't really necessary because we're Pack – The people you would kill for, die for, and live for. But you're welcome just the same." She gave him a bit of a salute before heading into the house.

Clay watched her go, thinking that maybe he misjudged her initially but time would tell.

* * *

Blair sat in the kitchen with Jeremy and drank the tea he poured for her. After getting filled in on what Santos had to say, she gave her opinion on that. "He's blaming Clay for what's going on with the Mutts? Seems a little far-fetched."

Jeremy just nodded and changed the subject. "I wanted to thank you for what you did with Braxton. What you did could very well have saved Clay – saved all of us."

"I just moved a dead body. It's not that big a deal." Blair looked down at her tea as she said that.

Jeremy stood on the other side of the table across from her. "You mentioned once that you were in a gang when you were younger, and that is why all of this Pack loyalty doesn't phase you. Is there more to the story, Blair?"

"I've seen my fair share of death in my life. I hate it, but it's nothing new to me." She set her mug on the table but didn't let go of it as she looked at Jeremy. "Like I told Clay, Pack is who you'd kill for, die for, and live for. And I've killed," she scoffed a light chuckle, "I've died, and I've lived. This isn't new to me, Jeremy."

Jeremy took a deep breath, finally decided to ask her something that's been weighing on his mind. It was the only thing that made sense to him, but he needed to know for sure. "You knew Werewolves existed before you were Bitten, didn't you?"

Blair tapped her fingernail on the side of her mug before answering. "You want the truth?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yes. I do."

Blair drank some more tea and returned the mug to the table. "Yes."

Jeremy took in a sharp intake of air. "How? Who told you?"

Blair shook her head. "Sorry, Jeremy, but I'm not going to answer that. You can either accept that or not, but it's not going to change anything." She was not going to tell Jeremy about the Spell, no way. Blair felt like she'd said too much already. And just in case Tyler and Mason and the other Wolves she knew had Alters who were Wolves in this Reality, she wasn't about to throw them under the bus for something that didn't even happen with them.

Jeremy was not pleased about this one bit but hoped she would tell him more in the future. "You should have said something before."

Blair winced slightly, tilting her head side to side. "Yeah, well…I wasn't exactly sure that I trusted you before so there was that."

Jeremy allowed himself a momentary chuckle. "Fair enough." He then thought back to the conversation he and Elena had earlier. "Elena is going back to Toronto and she has asked my permission to take you with her. She believes the further you are away from Marsten and the other Mutts the safer you will be." Jeremy paused for a moment before adding in. "And I happen to agree with her."

Blair blinked a few times as this processed because she wasn't sure she heard him correctly. "Wait…what? You're approving me going with her?"

"You can't exactly run into the woods to play pirates every time a Mutt shows up," Jeremy reasoned with a teasing grin before drinking his own tea.

Blair couldn't help but feel like there was more to it than what he was saying, but the idea getting away from Stonehaven was tempting. "I'll think about it."

"You better think quick," Jeremy answered as he left the kitchen. "She's leaving tonight."

Blair finished off her tea and poured another with a sigh. Upon hearing Nick's footsteps, she poured him one as well.

Nick sat across from Blair and accepted the cup of tea she held out to him. "You're leaving?"

"You eavesdropped," she answered with a smile. "I haven't agreed to anything, Nick. I'm thinking about it. It's a nice offer, especially since I was pretty much told that I'd never be able to leave Stonehaven's grounds like ever."

"Not for all of it. Just the part about you going back to Toronto with Elena." Nick did not like the idea of her leaving Stonehaven one bit. "Don't go."

"It's safer for me away, right?" Blair was about to drink some more tea but set it down, suddenly losing her taste for it. "Like you heard Jeremy say – I can't run off into the woods to play pirates every time a Mutt shows up."

"I didn't take you as someone who'd run away." Nick was baiting her a bit with that.

"I am _not_ running away, Nick," Blair shot back. "But I can't do anything here. It's been made abundantly clear that my existence can't get out in the world, so I can't really do anything to help. Staying away when Santos was here, _that_ was running away. I won't do it again. I'm a part of this Pack, dammit." She took a deep breath to try and keep herself calm. "I haven't agreed to anything and I haven't decided anything."

Nick thought he knew how hard this was on Blair but clearly it was harder on her than he thought. "What are you going to decide?"

Blair had no clue how to answer that. "Honestly, I have no idea."

* * *

End Episode 3

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, Readers! Hope you enjoyed this 'Episode'. Also, here's a 'shout out' thanks to the YouTube user Tom Hughes for suggesting/inspiring the Clay/Blair sparring scene. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Toronto

Blair made her decision – She chose to go with Elena. If for nothing else than to figure out _why_ Jeremy was willing to let her go with Elena to Toronto. Presently they were at a roadside diner getting something to eat for supper before continuing the drive to Toronto. Blair took this moment to figure out what they were going to tell everyone in Toronto about her and why she was there. "Okay, I get that you told everyone that your cousin died in a car crash but how are we related?"

Elena didn't have a problem talking about this there since they were being quiet about it and the place was pretty empty given how late it was. "Distantly. We can say that your father's cousin was my cousin."

Blair shook her head at that because she wouldn't remember that detail. "Better make it my mom's cousin. My dad is full on Korean and besides, it's my mom with the Wolf connection so it'll be easier for me to remember that." Blair felt so comfortable talking to Elena that she didn't realize she let that little detail about life in her Reality slip.

Elena, however, caught it. "I thought you didn't know anything about your parents…Hold on, how does your mother have a Werewolf connection?"

Blair almost dropped her fork when Elena asked her that. She slowly set it down and cleared her throat. "Uhm…what?"

"You heard me." Elena was pretty firm with her tone now.

Blair opened her mouth to say something but darted out of the booth and headed out of the diner to avoid all of this.

"Blair!" Elena tossed some money on the table, gave the waitress a quick apology and ran out the door after her. She found Blair walking _away_ from the car with her bag over her shoulder. "Blair!" she called out again and ran over to her. "What is going on?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you and even if you did you'd tell Jeremy and no offense but I _really_ don't want him or anyone else to know." Blair stopped in her tracks, dropped her bag, and turned around. "Oh my god…is _that_ why Jeremy let me come with you? He wanted you to try and figure out how I know what I know, am I right?"

Elena hoped that giving her the truth would get the truth in return. "Okay, yes, that is part of it. But he didn't ask me to do that until after I asked him to bring you with me. I truly believe you'll be safer away from Stonehaven until the whole Mutt thing goes away."

Blair crossed her arms and scoffed heavily. "I hate being manipulated as much as I hate being lied to."

"We don't appreciate being lied to either." Elena gestured back down the road towards the Diner's parking lot. "Can we please not have this discussion on the side of the road?"

"We're not having a discussion," Blair countered. "I'm walking back to Stonehaven."

There was no way Elena was going to let her do that. "Is your truth really that bad?"

"It's not bad, Elena," Blair shot back then rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "You won't believe me. You'll think I'm insane and you'll tell Jeremy and he'll think I'm insane and so will everyone else in the Pack."

Elena made a vow to her in that moment and hoped she wouldn't regret it. "What if I gave you my word that I wouldn't tell anyone what you tell me? Even if I think it's insane, I'll keep it to myself. Will you tell me then?"

Honestly, Blair wanted to tell someone but she didn't want it getting back to Nick especially. She couldn't take it if he started looking at her differently because of the truth. "You will tell _no one_?"

Elena nodded. "No one. Not unless you tell me otherwise."

Blair held out her hand with her pinky up. "You swear?"

Elena smiled at this act then got serious. She wrapped her pinky around Blair's, saying, "I swear."

Blair took her hand back and crossed her arms to create an invisible barrier between her and Elena. "I'm not from here, Elena. I'm just visiting."

Elena looked at her like she was confused, because she was. "I didn't think you were from Bear Valley…"

Blair shook her head because this was harder than she thought it would be. "No, that's not what I mean. I – I'm not from this Reality. I'm from a different Reality."

Elena really didn't believe her. "If you don't want to tell me the truth, fine, but don't lie to me."

Blair threw her arms up exasperatedly. "I told you, you wouldn't believe me. But that's not going to stop me from telling you everything. Like I said, I'm not from this Reality. Yes, Blair Alden Han exists here but this me, who you're talking to right now, isn't who she is. I'm hijacking my Alter's body so I can visit this Reality. Where I'm from, my…Alternate Universe – my Reality has Witches and Werewolves and a whole bunch of other stuff that I'm not going to get into right now. But the point is…I'm a Werewolf there and I think that's why I survived the Bite here. In my Reality you are born with the Werewolf Curse and not Bitten. You can go your entire life without triggering the Curse but if you accidentally kill someone then it activates. That's what happened to me – A guy attacked me, I defended myself, and he ended up getting his head cracked open so a Werewolf I became. _That's_ why all this Werewolf stuff didn't phase me in this Reality because I've been through it all before. Here it's just a different Pack of Wolves."

Elena _really_ didn't want to believe her because it was just so out there and yet…she found herself believing everything Blair had said. "Say I believe you…how did you get here in your – your Alter's body?"

"My Witch friend cast a Spell to send me to a different Reality. I'm here until I die or accomplish whatever it is the Spells wants me to achieve that my Alter couldn't on her own." Blair let out a breath of relief because she felt like a weight had just been lifted off her shoulders.

Elena still thought this was a bit out there but it would explain so much. "Is that why your abilities are so different?"

Blair shrugged a bit. "I guess so? It does kinda feel like my Wolf from my Reality and my Wolf from this one are blended. There are definitely attributes that I can access here that I had there – attributes that are more enhanced than yours I guess." Okay, now Blair was starting to confuse herself. She rubbed her forehead with a groan. "Explaining it is a lot harder than experiencing it." Blair looked up at Elena and asked her something she needed to hear the answer to again. "You won't tell Jeremy or anyone else?"

"I won't." Elena moved closer to Blair and placed her hands on Blair's shoulders. "If it makes you feel any better, I do believe you. I don't understand it but I've seen the French Mistake episode on Supernatural, so I think I've got the gist."

Blair laughed because she realized how she could have used that as an example. "Oh my god, that is pretty much what it's like." She then raised her brow. "Wait, Supernatural is a TV show here?"

Elena picked up Blair's bag and started walking back to the car with her. "Yes, but somehow I have the feeling that it's different than the one you're familiar with."

Blair grinned from ear to ear as she said, "I guess we'll have to binge watch to find out."

"Oh, you are so on." Elena was glad to finally have some answers about Blair and she would keep her word. Telling Jeremy wasn't going to happen unless it absolutely had to.

Once Elena tossed Blair's bag back into the trunk and got into the car, she turned to Blair in the passenger seat. "Okay, so your mother is my cousin's cousin."

Blair nodded affirmatively. "Like I said, it'd be easier for me to remember that way."

Elena accepted that answer – there was no point not to. "Okay. Now, let's go over everything else."

And so they did.

* * *

Blair felt like she was prepared for anything when they arrived in Toronto but the true test was to come – Phillip, Elena's boyfriend. Blair followed Elena into the very sleek and clean apartment and dropped her duffel bag near the kitchen island.

"Phillip," Elena called out, "I'm back."

Blair watched as a guy came out of what was probably the bedroom and kissed Elena in one hell of a greeting. She cleared her throat at this. "Uh, sorry to break up your little reunion here, but hi. I'm Blair."

Elena felt a little embarrassed by her display of affection in front of Blair. "Sorry. Blair, this is Phillip. Phillip, this is my cousin Blair."

"Another cousin?" Philip was surprised to hear this, but extended his hand in greeting nonetheless.

"Distant," Blair corrected. "My mom is Elena's cousin's cousin, so I'm not exactly sure what we are aside from family."

Phillip chuckled at Blair's explanation. "Just saying 'cousin' does sound a lot easier."

Blair snapped her finger and pointed at him. "Exactly."

Phillip looked at Elena before turning back to Blair. "I didn't realize you were coming. I would have set up the guest room."

"It was a last minute thing," Elena interjected and proceeded to tell him the story she and Blair agreed upon. "Blair just got out of a bad relationship and needs a fresh start. I told her she could stay with us until she gets on her feet."

"I hope that's alright. I don't want to put you out or anything. I can get how overwhelming this is." Blair wasn't surprised how easy this was for her and Elena to pull off. They both were talented liars in their own ways for their own reasons.

Phillip put a smile on his face. "It's fine. Of course you can stay. Really, it's not a problem."

Blair smiled in return. "Thanks. And don't worry about taking care of the guest room. I've got it." She picked up her bag and went in the direction where Elena pointed to, finding the room with ease. As soon as she closed the door, she tuned in to what they were saying in the other room.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to help her out, but a little heads up would have been nice." Phillip sounded a bit annoyed. "And just how many more cousins are going to pop out of the woodwork? So much for not having any family."

Blair tuned out as quickly as she tuned in because this really didn't seem like something she should listen in on, so she just found the sheets and stuff in the closet, made the bed, and proceeded to get ready for the night.

* * *

A little while later Elena went in to check on her. "Everything alright in here?"

Blair put down the book she was reading in bed. "Everything alright out there? I heard how peeved Phillip was."

Elena closed the door with a sigh. "That has more to do with you than me. It's not like I can tell him the truth."

"Why don't you nom-nom him?" Blair made a biting motion to emphasize what she meant.

"Because I want a normal life," Elena explained as she sat on the bed side Blair. "Any chance of that was taken away from me when Clay Bit me. I'm not going to do that to Phillip."

"I'm no stranger to wanting a normal life. That's kinda why I asked my friend to cast the Spell. I was hoping to end up some place that didn't have all the problems my own Reality has." Blair scoffed a chuckle. "I got my wish with a side dish of a whole new set of problems."

Elena could only barely understand what Blair was going through. Beyond being a Werewolf, though, she had nothing. "Try to get some sleep."

"You, too." Blair added in with a teasing grin, "But if Phillip's greeting is any indication, you won't be getting much sleep." She reached down to her duffel and pulled out a little container. "Which is why I'm glad I thought to bring these."

Elena laughed as Blair opened up the container and put the earplugs into her ears. "Goodnight, Blair."

"G'Night, Elena." Blair put in the second one, turned off the table lamp and settled in for the night.

* * *

Things were quiet for a couple days – thanks to the earplugs on Blair's part – and none of them left the apartment. But since the wedding of Phillip's sister was coming up, Elena needed to leave and thus Blair was permitted to as well.

Blair laughed excitedly when Elena told her this. "Hold on. You're saying that I can go out into the city _alone_ without a babysitter?"

Elena was glad to see Blair so happy. It was a side of her she hadn't really seen before. "Yes, that's what I'm saying. This is going to be your home, too, so you better get used to it."

"And if I happen to run into, you know, a Mutt or something?" Blair wanted to know what the plan was. "Because I'm assuming I don't kill them."

"It's a bit startling that your first thought is to kill them," Elena admitted.

Blair held up her hands innocently. "Hey, at least I assumed that I'm not supposed to do it."

Elena grabbed a paper and pen and wrote down an address. "If by some chance you do cross paths with a Mutt stay as far away from them as possible and go to Logan's once you're sure you've lost them."

Blair took the paper and saluted Elena. "Aye, aye, captain."

Elena looked at the time and kicked her butt in gear. "I'm late meeting Phillip. See you later. Call if you need anything." She was about to leave but remembered something and turned around back to Blair. Elena reached into her bag and pulled out and envelope. "Here's something to tide you over until you find a job."

Blair looked at the envelope with wide eyes. "I'm not taking money from you. I already owe Jeremy for room and board, and you for the clothes you bought me and…"

Elena put the envelope in Blair's hand and closed her hand around it. "Blair, you're Pack and that makes you family. We take care of our own." She hugged Blair before quickly leaving the apartment before Blair could get a word in edgewise.

If Elena had given her this money right after getting Bitten then Blair would have probably made a run for it, but now that was the last thing she wanted to do. Being Pack meant something to her and she wasn't going to betray that trust. True, she didn't agree with a bunch of how things worked but that didn't mean she wanted to turn into a Mutt because of it. So, Blair put the money into her bag, slung it over her shoulder and grabbed the spare set of keys off the counter to start her Toronto adventure.

* * *

The first thing Blair did was get a few clothing articles from a very cool vintage shop and then went to look for a wedding present for Phillip's sister. After much deliberation - and guessing since she'd never even met Phillip's sister – she decided on a 'his' and 'hers' tools sets. Whether or not they'd think it, at some point they were gonna need a hammer and a screwdriver.

Blair was thinking about the expression on the clerk's face when she asked if they did fancy gift wrapping. It was priceless and they did it, so now Blair was sitting outside a café with a coffee and scone. She was about to take a bite when her phone rang. Seeing that it was Nick, she didn't waste any time answering it. "Miss me already?" Blair asked with a teasing grin.

"You know it," Nick answered from his end of the line. "How are things going in the great north?"

"Not too bad, actually. Right now I'm sitting outside a little café checking out the hot guys that walk by." Oh yeah, Blair was definitely laying it on thick. "You know, if I knew how attractive the guys were up here I would have come _a lot_ sooner."

Nick didn't like hearing that one bit because it made him very jealous. "That's not funny."

Blair couldn't help but laugh a little. "If you're making the face I'm imagining you are, then yes. Yes, it is." She used her free hand to pick at her scone. "How are things at Stonehaven?"

"Making sure the families stay in line," Nick answered. "I'm actually on my way to DC to take care of that."

"Families are those who are allies so they're not quite Mutts?" Blair spoke quietly since there were people around.

Nick wasn't surprised that she remembered that. "Exactly." He waited a moment before asking, "When are you coming back to Stonehaven?"

"When Jeremy calls, I guess." Blair didn't have a better answer than that. "Elena seems pretty sure that I'll be up here for awhile. She's mentioned me getting a job and a place to stay at least twice."

This was the first Nick had heard of this. "I thought you being in Toronto was temporary."

"Yeah, well, who knows how long temporary is supposed to last?" Blair didn't want to get too comfortable in Toronto in case something happened, but that wasn't going to stop her from enjoying it while it lasted.

Nick wanted to talk with her more but he was almost at his destination. "Hey, Blair, I have to go but I'll call you later."

Blair wasn't bothered by this, she understood he had stuff to do. "Stay safe, Nick."

He felt the same towards her. "You too, Blair."

And with that, Blair ended the call and set her phone down. After finishing her coffee, she went back to shopping. Well it was more like window shopping, but still.

* * *

A few hours went by before her phone rang again and this time it was Jeremy. She had just exited a bookstore where she couldn't help but buy a journal. "Hello?"

"Hello, Blair." Jeremy's tone was level and yet made it clear that what he had to say was important. "I want you to come back to Stonehaven. Our ally Dennis Stillwell has been has been murdered and his son Joey is missing. I no longer feel comfortable having you away from home."

Blair pinched the bridge of her nose and inhaled deeply. "Are Elena and Logan to come back with me or…"

Jeremy cut her off. "Right now it's just you. I think I was wrong in agreeing to let Elena take you with her."

"It wasn't wrong, Jeremy," Blair countered. "Honestly, I needed it. I'll come back as soon as I figure out how I'm going to get there."

Jeremy had already thought of that. "Antonio is already on his way to get you. He should be there within a couple of hours."

Blair felt a little annoyed at that. "So you just figured I'd agree to come back?"

Jeremy answered her annoyed question with honesty. "No, but I was hoping you would."

"Have him call me when he's here. Later, Jeremy." Blair ended the call without another word and now it was time to fill in Elena.

* * *

Blair met up with Elena at Logan's place since it was safer to talk there because Phillip's family was on their way to his apartment, so this conversation would have to be pretty short. She just gave them the gist that Jeremy called and wanted her to come back to Stonehaven but left out the part about the Stillwells. If Jeremy wanted them to know then he'd have to be the one to tell them.

"Jeremy is calling you back already?" Elena couldn't believe this. "I was under the impression that would be able to have a life here."

"I wasn't," Blair stated bluntly. "I knew this was just temporary, but it's okay. I needed a breather and that's exactly what I got. I'm ready to get back into the thick of it."

Elena was feeling pretty firmly about this. "I can talk to Jeremy, convince him to let you stay."

Blair didn't want her to do that. "Elena, just because you want a normal life and nothing but a normal life doesn't mean that I do. Yeah, okay, I admit that right after I first got Bit I was adamant about not wanting it, but things are different now. I _want_ to be a part of the Pack. And whether I'm there or I'm here I still have to look over my shoulder. And honestly, if I have to live like that, I'd rather do it at Stonehaven. There aren't many places I consider him but that place is one of them."

Elena wanted to retort, but Logan cut her off. He gently placed his hand on her arm, saying, "Elena, Blair has made her decision. I think we should respect that."

Elena felt this was a bad idea but then again maybe it was for the best because she did think she saw Daniel Santos earlier that day. "Alright, but you are always welcome here, okay? Remember that."

"Promise." Blair got up because it was time for Elena to meet up with Phillip's family and Blair had to get her things together. "Bye, Logan."

"Bye, Blair." He gave her a hug before walking her and Elena to the door. Blair had only been a part of the Pack for about a month but already he saw her as family. Besides, if things progressed with her and Nick like he suspected they would then it'd just be a matter of time before she was.

* * *

Things were quiet for awhile on the drive back to Stonehaven, which was why Blair a bit surprised when Antonio started a conversation – and a serious one at that. "May I ask what is going on between you and my son?"

Blair felt like that question came out of nowhere. "Uh…I'm not sure I know what you're asking me."

Antonio looked at her briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. "Are you and he together?"

Now Blair was starting to understand. "You're asking if we're dating?" At his nod, she answered. "No, we're not." Blair thought this conversation was a bit weird and Antonio picked up on that.

"I understand if you're not comfortable discussing this with me, I just wanted to be sure that you know I approve. You've grown over this past month and not just within the Pack, I've seen you grow as a person." Antonio smiled at Blair genuinely. "Nick would be lucky to have you."

Blair wasn't sure what to say to that other than, "Thanks." It still felt weird discussing this with him but there was something she wanted to know. "So…does ones Wolf always agree with who one is attracted to?"

Antonio kept his smile to himself because the suspicion both he and Jeremy had seemed to be correct. "Not always. Often times your Wolf and yourself are at odds when it comes to attraction. When they're in agreement, it means something."

Blair popped her lips lightly. "That's what I thought."

Antonio allowed himself a smile when Blair looked out the window. "If it makes you feel any better, Nick asked me the same thing about you."

Blair didn't look at him after he said that. Not because she didn't like what she heard, but because she was afraid she was blushing and that rarely happened, but when it did…it meant something.

* * *

A few hours later they were back at Stonehaven. Blair wanted to stay up and wait for Nick to return, but she was urged to get some sleep. Blair went up to her room and tried to do just that, but she failed. She laid in bed all night and when the sun came up, that's when she heard someone come upstairs. Blair got off her bed and went to see who it was.

Nick looked so exhausted both physically and emotionally but when he saw Blair step out into the hall, he felt a little bit better. "You're back."

"I am." Blair went over to Nick and hugged him. Antonio told her about how Nick was the one who had to take care of Dennis Stillwell's body and how close they were and such. She knew what it was like to lose someone and hated the fact Nick had just lost another person.

Nick hugged Blair in return with closed eyes and inhaled deeply. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me, too," Blair answered softly, still in Nick's embrace. "Me, too."

* * *

Later that morning, with a major mug of coffee in her hand, Blair stood in the cellar with Nick, Jeremy, and Antonio. Nick proceeded to tell them about Joey Stillwell. "I didn't find Joey, but if he is alive and able he'll join us when he finds out they killed his father."

"Whose death we will avenge right now," Antonio replied, ready to do whatever it took.

Jeremy sipped at his coffee. "Marsten likes to play in the shadows. He has other people to do his dirty work for him. Have to find a way to draw him out."

Once again, Blair raised her hand. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. They're gonna find out about me sooner or later, so let's control the narrative. Use me to draw Marsten out. Even the idea of another female surviving the Change has got to be enough to bring him sniffing around."

"Marsten's not the one you should be worried about," Elena interjected as she joined them in the cellar.

Blair pointed at her, saying with an 'I should have known' smile, "I _thought_ I smelled you."

Elena shook her head in an amused manner before getting to the matter at hand. She turned to Jeremy. "You were right to call Blair back here. Daniel Santos found me in Toronto."

Jeremy wasn't expecting to hear that. "Santos did?"

"Yeah." Elena stepped towards him with a small, rectangular box in her hand. "He had a lot to say. And he left this for you."

Jeremy handed Antonio his coffee mug and was about to open the box but Elena put her hand over his, saying, "You're not going to like what's inside." Elena felt she needed to warn him.

That statement caught the attention of Blair, Nick, and Clay who all stepped forward to also see what was inside the box.

Jeremy pulled off the lid and inside the box was a clear plastic bag, and inside that were a pair of eyes. Odds were they were Dennis Stillwell's eyes since the Mutts that killed him took them. After seeing these, Jeremy closed up the box without a word. Even though Jeremy was silent, his face clearly expressed, 'This ends now'.

* * *

End Episode 4


	5. You are not expendable

Blair felt her blood boiling at the sight of the eyes in the box. She'd seen some sick stuff in her life but never anything like this. Not even Klaus Mikaelson gouged out eyes and sent them in a box to make a point – Not that she knew of anyway. But these Wolves – these _Mutts_ were sick and twisted and Blair wanted them to be put down. She _needed_ to put them down.

Nick concurred that the set of eyes belonged to Dennis Stillwell and soon after saying this, Elena's phone rang. She answered it, listened, then said, "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Elena put the phone on speaker and set in down on the table they were all standing around. "Go ahead."

"How did you like my little present?" Daniel Santos' voice asked.

Blair wanted to say something right then and there, but Clay was the one who stopped her. He brought his finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet, then raised and lowered his hand to tell her to calm down. Blair knew he was right, this certainly wasn't the time to draw attention to herself, so she clenched her fists and kept quiet.

Jeremy addressed Daniel Santos. "Why did you kill Dennis Stillwell?"

"Technically it wasn't me." Santos chuckled, "But you've got to admit it was an attention grabber."

Jeremy made sure to keep his tone level as he spoke. "You have my attention."

Santos was pleased about that. "Good. Because I want to be heard and taken seriously. "

"Well it will be hard for you to talk after I rip your throat out," Clay interjected as calmly as anything.

Santos laughed at this, but he was not amused. "You see, now _, that_ is what we need to be talking about. The violent ways in which you uphold the Pack laws. Now you know how it feels to be on the receiving end. All that my associates and I want is to get out from underneath the Pack's oppressive rule."

Antonio felt it was time for him to say something. "The rules of our society have been established for centuries. What makes you think we'd be interested in changing them now?"

"Well, I'm sure you're not, Antonio, since you're the ones in power. But there are a number of us who think it's about time for a new world order. If you don't agree that's fine, but you can count on having some more funerals."

Blair held her hands out towards the phone and clenched them like she was strangling him, but didn't say a word.

Elena felt the same sentiment but didn't address it and asked Santos, "What have you done with Joey Stillwell?"

"He's safe for now," Santos replied. "Still has all his body parts, which is more than I can say for Samuel Boggs."

Clay took point on the reply for that. "Boggs thought we were weak. He needed to be taught a lesson."

"Dennis Stillwell thought we were second-class citizens. He was taught a lesson as well." Santos' tone of voice made it clear that he was smiling.

Jeremy had enough of this. "What do you want?"

Santos took a moment before answering. "A meeting. You and I get together, hash things out."

Jeremy's reply was instant. "Great. Come to Stonehaven, we'll talk."

Santos was not about to fall for that. "You still haven't gotten the blood stains out of your carpet from the last Santos that was killed there. I was thinking we could meet at the park, on the east side of Bear Valley."

Clay left the table to get a map and Jeremy proceeded with the conversation. "That doesn't work for me."

Santos sighed a bit dramatically. "Then please, select a location other than your fortress. I'll come alone and in good faith. I'll trust you to do the same."

Clay returned with the map, set it in front of Jeremy, and tapped on where he thought the meet should be set.

Jeremy looked at it and agreed. "Fine. There's an abandoned campground just off county road thirty-five. There's a pavilion on the west side. I'll meet you there."

Santos was willing to accept those terms. "Sounds good to me. How about tomorrow, say noon?"

"I'll see you there," Jeremy replied and returned the phone to Elena when Santos said, "Good," and ended the call.

With the phone call over with, Blair jumped right in there. "Please tell me you're not going to trust anything he says."

"I'm not," Jeremy assured her then said to the rest of the Pack, "We can't just sit here and let them pick us off one by one. We have to find a way to turn this meeting into our advantage, maybe get a lead on where that warehouse is. Clay and Elena, you head there now. Find stakeout positions."

Blair didn't bother raising her hand this time and just came right out with what she wanted to ask. "Can I go with them?"

"No," Jeremy instantly replied. "We can't risk spreading your scent around the campground. If your existence comes to light tomorrow, I would rather it be an element of surprise. Besides, Antonio is charge of your training today."

Blair sighed because this was starting to get a bit predictable. "Sparring again?"

"Not today," Antonio answered as he guided her to the stairs. "Today, we fix."

Blair had no idea what he meant by that. " _Fix_?"

Antonio chuckled at her confusion. "You'll see."

* * *

Blair shadowed Antonio for the entire process of 'fixing' the problems left behind by Daniel Stillwell's murder. Since the other families couldn't hear about what happened, Antonio got a guy to pose as Dennis to go a very long, very nice cruise. Now Blair got what he meant by 'fixing'. It made Blair think about what Damon did to cover up Mason's death back in her Reality, but what Antonio was doing was far more detailed and with much less chance of error.

"So this is what you do in the Pack? You're the fixer?" Blair asked once Antonio was done making the cruise arrangements.

"That's right. When something like this occurs, I take care of it." He could see the gears turning in Blair's head and answered the question he assumed she was thinking. "Jeremy wants you to see all sides of Pack operations so you can have the opportunity to find where you'll fit. You're a fighter, we've all seen that, but fighting is not all what being in a Pack is."

"Right, there's also torture." Blair was a bit more snarky with that than she intended. "Sorry. I get that things _have_ to be done, I've just never been a fan or torture to send a message. At least not something that can't be recovered from."

Antonio looked at her peculiarly. "You speak as if you've tortured someone before."

Blair was glad that Nick walked in at that moment. "Nick! Perfect timing."

Nick stopped in his tracks because he wasn't sure what he had just walked in on. "Perfect timing for what?"

"Saving me from this conversation." Blair hopped out of her seat and left the room without a word, leaving a consumed Nick in her wake.

Nick pointed after her with a furrowed brow directed towards his father. "Did I miss something?"

"Blair admitted to Jeremy that she knew about the existence of Werewolves before getting Bitten. He has asked me to try and get some more details since Elena apparently didn't have any luck with it." Antonio stood and adjusted his suit vest.

This was the first Nick had heard of this. "Wait…she already knew? That explains her lack of reaction, but how could she have possibly known? Whoever told her broke like the number one rule."

"We do not know and she's not saying." Antonio made sure to add in, "Don't question her, Nicholas. If Blair feels ganged up on…"

Nick didn't need to be given the details, he understood. "I got it. Believe me, the last thing I want is to do anything to push her out of the Pack."

Antonio already knew this, but it was nice to be reassured. "Good."

* * *

A little bit later, Jeremy got a phone call from Elena. A package was dropped off at the Pavilion wrapped in the same paper as Stillwell's eyes. It was presumed to either be Joey's body parts or a boobytrap so Jeremy ordered Elena not to touch it and told her that he and Antonio were on their way.

With that said, Jeremy turned to Blair and Nick. "You two stay here and watch the property. We'll be back."

"Jeremy, let me come. I can sniff out what's in the box without even getting near it. Leave me in the car with the window down if you have to." Blair knew she shouldn't go against an Alpha's orders, but felt she needed to here. "You know I can do it, Jeremy. I saved Clay from getting shot by smelling the gunpowder in the shells, remember?"

Jeremy didn't like this one bit but had to admit she had a point. "You do _not_ get out of the car. And do not make a habit of talking yourself out of the orders I give you in the future."

Blair could accept that. "It's a deal. But you're gonna have to be patient with me on that. I'm not used to taking orders."

Jeremy wasn't surprised to hear that. "This isn't news to me."

Nick stopped Blair before she followed Jeremy and Antonio out the door. "Hey, be careful. And don't do anything stupid."

"Telling me not to do something just makes me want to do it a million times more," Blair answered with a teasing grin.

Nick smiled back, saying, "In that case, you want to kiss me goodbye."

Blair took in a breath at that because it was something she really wanted to do but couldn't let herself. "Maybe next time, hot stuff." She gave him a playful wink as she left the house, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Blair was in the backseat of the car and leaned forward into the front when the sight of an accident came into view a little bit down the road. Something didn't feel right. "Don't get out of the car."

"She needs our help," Jeremy answered as he pulled the car to a stop. "You stay here."

"Jeremy, wait…" Blair tried to get him to stop, but he cut her off.

"What did you just agree to back at Stonehaven?" Jeremy let that sink in before getting out of the car with Antonio to check on the girl who was on the road bleeding near the car accident.

Blair still felt like something was wrong and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened up her senses to take in everything that was around them. It wasn't long before she realized what was happening. Blair's eyes shot open and she burst out of the car shouting, "It's an ambush!"

Blair was right, a moment both Jeremy and Antonio were under attack. Upon seeing this she charged at the young man in a suit that was slicing up Antonio with a knife. Blair tackled him to the ground and snarled as her eyes glowed yellow.

Santos looked up at her in shock. "You're a Wolf."

"And you're dead!" she seethed and drove her clawed hand into his chest, but he stabbed her in the side before she had gotten the desired result – pulling his heart out. Blair cried out in pain but still managed to slash him again before he threw her off.

Blair pressed her hand to her wound and forced herself to her feet. When the one with glasses started going after Antonio, Blair intervened and snapped his arm back, but she wasn't fast enough to help Antonio from yh other attack. Santos slashed Antonio across the abdomen. Blair punched Glasses and went over to Antonio, pressing her hands on his wound. The Mutts took off because Clay squealed his vehicle to a stop right near them.

Tears streamed down her face as she kept pressure on Antonio's wound. "I'm so sorry."

"We have to get him back to Stonehaven." Clay helped Antonio to his feet brought him to the vehicle.

Blair kept her hand pressed to her side and followed, only to be stopped by Jeremy.

"You're hurt." Jeremy sounded very concerned.

"I'll be fine," Blair replied and got into the vehicle. She hated herself for Antonio getting hurt because she felt it was her own fault. If Blair had just been a second fastet then Santos would be dead, but she wasn't fast enough and now Antonio was paying the price. That was something she would never be able to make up for, ever.

* * *

They rushed back to Stonehaven and brought Antonio inside. No time was wasted on cleaning the wound, applying pressure, and hemostatic powder once he was laid on the sheets on the kitchen table. Blair stayed out of the way when they did this and checked on her own wound – it was almost completely healed. Apparently her accelerated healing was one of the tricks that passed over with her and this gave Blair an idea.

Blair stepped forward saying, "Give him my blood."

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked her.

Blair pulled up her shirt to show her healing wound. "It's almost completely healed. If none of you heal like this then it's gotta be a me thing. Give Antonio my blood. It might help him."

Now that Jeremy had done all that he could for his friend, he turned his attention to Blair. "Even if it would work, it would likely take all of your blood to give him the healing factor."

Blair was willing to do it. "Then give it all to him. I'm expendable, he's not!"

Antonio, even in his weakened state, wasn't going to stand for this. "No," he said to her. "You are not expendable."

Blair stood next to Nick and looked at Antonio. "They need you, Antonio. This is all my fault – I didn't kill him. I tried and I failed. Please let me save you. Let me fix this."

Antonio coughed up some blood but was still able to speak to her. "This – this is not your fault, Blair. You are here for a reason, do not forget that."

Blair wanted to say something else but was kept from it. A strong odor reached her senses and it wasn't coming from Antonio. "Jeremy…"

As if on cue, Jeremy collapsed. They helped him into a seat and Blair looked at the wound on his abdomen – it was not good. "Antiseptic and gauze, now!" Blair accepted them from Nick and cleaned the wound before putting pressure on it. "This is gonna need stitches, but it doesn't smell right, Jeremy."

"It'll be fine. Just patch me up." Jeremy was impressed to see that she seemed to know what she was doing. "Where did you learn this?"

"I was a medic in a past life," Blair answered, not caring if they believed her or not. "I'm serious, Jeremy, this doesn't smell right."

"I will be fine," he reassured her and once she was done, he returned to Antonio's side.

Blair stood back as the Pack said their goodbyes to Antonio. Jeremy informed them that Antonio was bleeding internally and that there was nothing more they could do. Blair didn't think it was right that she could survive but he couldn't. It wasn't fair. She turned away because she didn't feel like she deserved the right to say goodbye to Antonio, but apparently he didn't feel the same.

"Blair," Antonio said weakly and when she came over, he said to her, "You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it. You are _not_ expendable." His eyes went to Nick then back to Blair. "Take care of my son."

Blair nodded with tears in her eyes for more than one reason. It wasn't only because Antonio died but because someone she cared about whom she also lost had said almost the exact same words to her as Antonio had – You were given this life because you're strong enough to live it. "I will. I promise."

Antonio looked back to his son one last time before all life left him.

Nick held onto his father and cried at the loss. While the final words his father said to him meant so much, he would gladly have returned them if it meant getting his father back.

Blair placed a comforting hand on Nick's back as she sniffled her own tears. She silently vowed that she would make Santos and all the other Mutts pay.

* * *

After getting cleaned up, Blair went into the Great Room. Jeremy, Elena, and Clay were already there. She zipped up her leather jacket and sat on the arm of the sofa. What she was thinking must have been plain as day on her face because Jeremy hit the nail right on the head when he spoke.

"None of us blame you, Blair. You did your best and…"

Blair cut him off there. "Clearly my best wasn't good enough." She got to her feet and started to pace. "If I was _one second_ faster then Santos would be dead and Antonio would be alive. This is on me!"

"No, it's not," Elena interjected. "You could have done nothing, but you didn't. You defended your Pack. No one is perfect. Not even you with your enhanced perks. Just because you're more doesn't mean you're perfect." She stood up and went over to Blair. "Antonio's death is _not_ your fault. This is not on you."

Blair heard her words but they didn't mean anything. "I wish I could believe that." She took the topic off herself and turned to Jeremy. "What do we do now? How are we going to make those Mutts pay?"

Clay was the one who answered. "These Mutts need to be put down for good."

Elena was on board for that. "I agree. No middle ground, no mercy. They killed Pete, _they_ killed Antonio. What more is it going to take for us to fight back?"

Nick walked into the room, having just left his father's side. "This is more than just killing a few Mutts."

Jeremy didn't think he was ready to discuss this. "Nick, we can talk about this later."

Nick wasn't going to have that. "No, I have the rest of my life to grieve. We all do. Right now we need to go on the offensive, find out who else is involved, and just how far this reaches."

If this is what Nick wanted to focus on, Blair wasn't going to try and deter him. Everyone grieved in their own ways – Blair was no stranger to that. "Don't forget about the woman from the ambush. We need to find out who she is."

"The Mutts are getting desperate if they're bringing in Humans to do their dirty work." Nick was sickened about this entire thing but he was going to push through it.

Clay was more than ready to get this started. "Where do we start?"

Jeremy took a moment to think before answering. "Cain. That's the weakest link."

"He's hardly weak," Clay countered, knowing how strong Cain was.

"There are different types of weakness," Blair pointed out, knowing this from experience and then some.

Jeremy agreed with her there. "Cain is mentally weak. He's sloppy, he's careless. We need to find him and get him to talk."

"Blair and I can go to the campground, see if we can pick up his scent." Elena looked to Blair, saying, "About time to put that sense of smell of yours to work."

"You're not going out there alone," Clay interjected.

"I won't be alone," Elena reclarified. "Blair will be with me."

"And Clay will be going with you both." Jeremy made that quite clear. He turned to Nick, saying, "Nick, you and I will stay here and tend to Antonio's body."

Blair stepped closer to Jeremy to ask him, "How do you feel your wound is doing?"

"It's fine. Don't worry about me." Jeremy didn't want any of them worrying about him. "I hear your concern, Blair, but I am fine."

"Just because you say it a million times, doesn't mean I'm going to get any closer to believing you." Blair gave his arm a squeeze and hoped what she smelled from Jeremy would fade away. She left Jeremy's side and went over to Nick. "I'm so sorry, Nick. I wish I could bring Antonio back. I know I can't but I give you my word I will do everything in my power to make this right." There was a big part of Blair that didn't think anything she could do would make it right, but tracking down the Mutts and ripping their hearts out would certainly be a start.

* * *

Blair went with Clay and Elena to the campground. She crouched on the ground and closed her eyes. Blair took in a deep breath of air, focusing everything she had on her sense of smell. When the wind blew just right it helped the process along. "He went north," Blair told them before opening her eyes and getting to her feet. "You guys take the car, I'm going on foot."

"We should stay together." The last thing Clay wanted was to lose another member of their Pack.

"And I don't think we should lose the scent. If you think I'm going to stick my head out the window as you drive, you've got another thing coming." Blair started sprinting off and called over her shoulder, "Better get in your car if you want to keep up!", before taking off at full speed.

Blair didn't stop running until she came to a fork in the road. This is where he got into a vehicle so it was a little trickier. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath again to get back the scent.

Clay pulled his vehicle to a stop, saying to Elena as they got out to check on Blair, "This would be a lot easier if she didn't have to meditate every time she needed to pick up a scent."

"I'm not meditating," Blair answered and opened her eyes. "It works better for me to tune into my enhanced sense of smell when another sense is cut off. I don't _have_ to do it, I just get better results when I do." Blair pointed down the west road. "By the way, he went west." This time instead of taking off, she went to get into the car.

"You going to stick your head out the window now?" Clay asked as he and Elena followed her.

"No, that'd be stupid. I remember from the map that this road is a straight shot for awhile. I'll get out again when I have to." Blair gave him a 'so there' expression and got into the backseat of the car. The sooner they found Cain the sooner the Mutts would be dead and that was an ending Blair wanted to get to sooner rather than later.

* * *

It wasn't too long before they got into town and found Cain's truck outside of a gas station. Clay pulled into the parking lot and got out with Blair and Elena. "Good call," he said to Blair, giving credit where it was due.

"Just followed the scent." Blair pointed between them, saying, "If either of you mention the _one_ time I stuck my head out the window so we wouldn't lose the scent, I'll superglue your lips shut." With that said, Blair took off her jacket and tossed it through the window.

"If we go in there now there's going to be a lot of collateral damage," Clay observed. "We should wait for him to come out."

Elena had her own idea. "I wait for him to come out."

Blair countered it, though. "No, this is on me." She tied up her hair, ready to deal with Cain.

Elena could tell that Clay was about to tell Blair not to do anything, but she stopped him, saying quietly as Blair headed towards Cain's truck, "Let her do this. She needs to do it."

Clay just nodded, trusting her judgement.

While Clay and Elena got into place, Blair stayed leaned against Cain's truck. When he came out with a case of beer and a couple paper bags in hand, he sniffed the air. After Cain realized the Wolf scent he caught came from her, he almost couldn't believe it. "You do exist."

"I do. And now we're going to have a little chat. But first…" Blair flipped him the bird, turned her middle finger into a claw, and dragged it across his truck leaving a screech and deep scratch in her wake.

Cain went from being in awe of her existence to being pissed. "You're going to pay for that!" He set his stuff on the covering of his truck bed, and followed her to the back of the store. "How the hell did you survive the Bite?"

"Must be something in my blood." Blair's eyes turned yellow as she shot daggers at him. "You went after my Pack and now you're gonna pay for it."

Cain chuckled at her threat. "You think you can take me on? Bring it, little wolf."

Blair's blood boiled when he called her that. He had no right to call her that. With everything she had, she sped towards him and punched him upwards in the torso, cracking a rib or two. Her fist met his chin with a fierce upper cut, and when he dropped to his knees Blair grabbed onto his throat and started digging her nails into his skin. "Only **one** person is allowed to call me Little Wolf and you are not them!"

Clay and Elena intervened in that moment because it was like something snapped inside Blair and she had no mercy or control over her strength and speed. Elena was the first to try and get through to her. "Blair, listen to me. Don't kill him. We need him alive." Blair looked like she was about to rip Cain's throat out and her eyes seemed to glow even brighter. "Blair, please listen to me."

Elena wasn't getting anywhere so Clay tried. "He's not Santos. He's not the one you want dead."

"I want them all dead," Blair seethed, tightening her grip on Cain's throat, causing him to gasp and gag.

"Time enough for that later," Clay replied, gently putting his hand on her wrist. "But now's not the time."

Blair felt her anger subside a little bit so she removed her from Cain's throat – who was unconscious by now. She stepped back to let Clay check Cain for a pulse and found one present. He nodded to them to confirm he was still alive. "Let's get him out of here."

Elena stayed back for a second to talk to Blair. "What was that?"

Blair shot back, "I'm a Wolf with anger issues. Sue me."

"You can't lose it like that again." Elena was firm about this. "You need to control yourself."

"The last time I didn't give in to my anger the Mutt lived and killed Antonio. I am **not** going to make that mistake again." Blair stood her ground with this and got back into the car. Soon they would be back at Stonehaven and Cain's interrogation would begin.

* * *

As soon as they walked into Stonehaven, Clay brought Cain straight to the basement. Blair was about to follow but stopped when Jeremy called out to her to stay there until he was done speaking with Elena. "Alright," Blair called back, and sat in the foyer until Jeremy was ready for it.

She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Blair wanted to escape her Reality because of all the supernatural turmoil in it. Coming here was hitting her hard because she was experiencing losses all over again. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. And yet Blair didn't find herself wanting to go back to her Reality. Blair felt more belonging here than she ever did in her Reality – in Mystic Falls. Maybe it was because she was truly a part of a Pack. Blair never really had that in her Reality. Every Wolf she knew there either died or was turned into a Hybrid by Klaus. Being a part of a real Wolf Pack was something she never had before and now that she did, she didn't want to let it go. It was more than that though, but she couldn't allow herself to open herself up to it – not when she was holding so much back.

Blair was pulled from her thoughts when Elena came into the foyer, telling her that Jeremy was ready to speak with her. With a deep exhale, Blair got to her feet and went into the Great Room. As soon as she walked in, she got the strong smell again – it was almost putrid now. Blair didn't even hear what Jeremy said to her because she was trying to figure out what was wrong. "You're not fine."

That response had nothing to do with what Jeremy was saying to her, so he asked a bit weakly, "What?"

"Something is wrong, Jeremy. I can smell it. I don't know if it's infection or what, but you're not fine." Blair wasn't going to listen to him say he was anymore.

"It's just blood loss, Blair," Jeremy countered as he made himself stand to prove his point. "I'm fi…" He wasn't able to get his words out before collapsing to the floor.

"Jeremy!" Blair rushed to him and cradled his head. "Nick! Elena!" When they too came in and went to Jeremy's side, she cried, "I told him something was wrong. I told him…" Blair already lost too many people in this Reality and her own. She couldn't lose Jeremy too – none of them could.

* * *

End Episode 5


	6. Let's hit it

Jeremy woke up in the Stonehaven infirmary the morning after his collapse to find Blair curled up asleep in the chair beside his bed. "Blair…" His voice was weak but he wanted to get her attention.

Blair awoke almost instantly when she heard him say her name. "Hey." She wasn't sure what else to say to him.

"I thought I fell from blood loss but a night's rest should have fixed that." Jeremy took in a deep breath. "It's hard to breathe. The knife must have been…"

"Dipped in poison. I know." Blair tapped the side of her nose. "I finally figured out what I was smelling – it was the toxin. I already told Clay and Elena and they're going to get it out of Cain. Experimenting with antidotes could do more harm than good."

Once again, Jeremy was impressed with her. "Perhaps you were a medic in a past life."

"I've been lots of things in lots of lives, Jeremy. I just don't always like thinking about it." Blair shook her head a bit because she was feeling lightheaded.

Jeremy noticed this. "What's wrong?" His eyes then went to the IV pole and found a bag of blood hanging there. "What did you do?"

"I'm blood type O-Negative, the universal donor, so you don't have to worry about my blood attacking yours." Blair played it off like she thought that was what he was concerned about.

Jeremy, despite his weakened state, managed to stay firm with her. " _Blair_."

She rubbed her forehead with a sigh and told him. "I know you think that giving all my blood is the only way to give away my healing properties, or whatever, but I had to try. Even if my blood stalls the toxin for just a little while then it's worth it." Blair let out a shaky breath. "I can't – I can't lose anyone else, Jeremy. And I've been smart about how much to give. I did the math. I'm just a little lightheaded right now because that's a fresh bag. I'll be fine. I heal a lot faster than the rest of y'all, you know."

"Have I told you how lucky I feel to have you in our Pack?" Jeremy couldn't believe how much Blair has melded with the Pack since she survived the Bite. Yes, there was still a lot they didn't know about her and yet…she was already family.

"I'm the lucky one, Jeremy." Blair started getting a little misty eyed. "You gave me a place where I belong. Thank you." She stood up and checked the IV to make sure it was all right then cleared her throat, not sure what else to say.

Jeremy changed the topic a little bit. "I would have thought you'd be with Nick."

Blair hadn't really spoken to Nick after Antonio's death. "He's taking care of some things and I want to give him space."

Jeremy could see that Blair was still blaming herself for Antonio's death. "It's not your fault, Blair. You need to stop blaming yourself."

Blair didn't say anything to that and pointed over her shoulder to the door as she walked backwards towards it. "I'm going to see how Clay and Elena are doing. No more Pack members are going to die today."

Blair left the infirmary and went downstairs to the kitchen and then the cellar. Cain was still locked in the cage and Blair hoped they'd gotten some information out of him. "Any luck?" She asked as she walked in then saw Cain was in his Wolf form within the cage, growling and snarling at them.

Elena looked at her and stated the obvious. "He's not in the mood to talk."

Blair crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "Plan B?"

Elena nodded in agreement. "Plan B." She and Blair went upstairs together, not telling Clay what they were up to.

Clay didn't like the sound of this. "Plan B? What is Plan B?" He went upstairs after them to find them getting their jackets on. "Where are you two going?"

"We have to find the Mutts," Elena answered as she pulled her hair out of her collar.

"And don't try telling us we can't go. You do, I'll rip your head off. If you're lucky enough, it'll be the one attached to your shoulders." Blair was quite serious with this threat – despite how repetitive she was with it. Hey, it was her favorite.

"I'll take the risk," Clay answered seriously. "You can't go after them by yourselves. Stay here, I'll work on Cain."

"Is talking Wolves an ability you guys have? Because talking Wolves is new to me," Blair shot back before throwing her hands out to her sides. "We really don't have time for this. My blood is only going to stall the toxin for so long – if at all. We have to find out what they poisoned Jeremy with."

Clay asked her calmly, "And what is this Plan B exactly? Are you two going to drive around and hope they're out for a stroll?"

"There was a woman with them, Clay," Elena interjected to keep Blair from shooting off with her temper. "We're going to find her."

Clay didn't want to let them go but time wasn't on their side. "Any sign of the Mutts, you're going to call me." His next part was directed right at Blair. "Do not let your emotions make you do something stupid. If there is trouble, we will take care of it together."

"If something comes up that Elena and I can't handle together, then yes, we will call." Blair gave him an elaborate bow with a snarky, "Good enough?"

Clay grumbled a bit. "Wonderful."

Blair stood and with a salute, she grabbed her bag and left the house with Elena.

Once they were outside, Elena asked, "Were you always one for the dramatic flare or is this an Alter thing?"

Blair opened the passenger door and got inside Elena's car. "Nope, all me."

* * *

Elena pulled into the convenience store parking lot where Cain's truck was still parked. Both Blair and Elena got out and looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Anything?" Elena asked as they approached the car.

"I don't smell a Wolf nearby," Blair replied and took another whiff. "No injured females either. But I'm pretty sure the woman who just went into the store is about to buy a pregnancy test."

Elena didn't say anything to that and tried to get into the truck. Since it was locked up, Elena wrapped her jacket around her arm then smashed the window in.

Blair looked at Elena with a 'huh' expression. "Better than my plan."

Elena reached in and unlocked the doors. "Oh, yeah? And what was your plan?"

"Rip the entire door off." Blair went around to the driver's side and got in to go through the arm rest.

Elena rummaged through the glove compartment and found a tube of lipstick and a tampon. This meant they were on the right track. "Gotcha."

Blair found something too. It was a green and white rearview mirror tag with a number printed on it and a spade symbol. "Check this out." She handed it over to Elena for further inspection. "There's no name, but it's gotta be for some kind of parking, right? A housing unit? A trailer park?"

Elena remembered where she'd seen this symbol before. "Campground. Cain must have a camper there."

That was enough for Blair. She left the car, saying, "Let's hit it."

* * *

Elena was right about the whole campground thing. The spot where a camper was parked matched the tag found in Cain's truck so it must be his. Blair and Elena approached the campier and found it padlocked. Just when Blair was about to rip it off, Elena's cellphone started ringing. "Go ahead and take that. See you inside." Blair ripped off the lock and pulled the door open. This was definitely Cain's spot, his scent was everywhere and mingled with it was a Human female's.

Blair poked around a bit but made sure to avoid the bed because of how badly it reeked of sex. She did not want to touch anything on there. It not that there was anything bad with being a sexual being, she just didn't want to touch the aftermath of someone else's encounters.

"Anything?" Elena asked as she walked into the RV.

"All their shit's still here," Blair replied, gesturing to the stuff around her. "She'll probably be back." She picked up a name souvenir mug from the kitchen table. "And I'm guessing her name is 'Amber'."

"Then let's stay here until she does." Elena almost left it at that but felt the need to clarify something. "And when she does come back, we let her lead us to the warehouse and the other Mutts. We do not engage, understood?"

"I'm starting to think I should have stayed back with Clay to get information out of Cain. At least then I'd be able to torture somebody." Blair flexed her hands because that was far darker than she intended.

Elena didn't address that because of the look on Blair's face made it clear she didn't say it quite right. "I'm going to call Clay and fill him in."

Blair just nodded and leaned back against the kitchenette counter. She took a deep breath as she remembered the conversation she had with Antonio about torturing people and how she didn't like to do it. So much had changed in such a short amount of time and not just with the Pack, but Blair herself.

She pulled herself from her thoughts when she heard Elena end the call. "Looks like we might have some time on our hands. Anything you want to ask me?"

Elena sat on the arm of the small sofa with a sigh. "Did you have a Pack where you're from?" She was wondering how Blair loyalty worked. True, she'd seen how loyal was to the Pack, but she had to be sure that wouldn't shift if something better came along.

"Not like what I have now." Blair picked at the loose thread on her black jeans. "No one in my family even told me I was a Werewolf – that I had the Curse. I didn't find out until an ex from a different Werewolf family told me and his nephew. My ex was killed so it was just me and his nephew. We were our own little Pack, I guess, but neither of us really knew what it meant. And then an actual Pack showed up and I wouldn't have anything to do with them. They wanted to hurt the people I cared about so while he went with them, I sided with my friends. Things got really complicated after that." She cleared her throat. "So to answer your question better, I guess you could say that I did have a Pack but I was the only Werewolf in it."

Elena accepted that and was curious about something. "How come you don't say anyone's names?"

"In case they have Alters here. I don't want to connect them to who I knew in my Reality. I need to be able to keep them separate in case I run into them or find out another one died." Blair was still thinking about Elena Gilbert's Alter having been murdered.

Elena was quick to pick up on that. "You're talking about the Gilbert girl? The one who died was an Alter of the one you knew, wasn't she?"

Blair nodded. "Yeah. It still hit me pretty hard, though. I hadn't thought about what it'd be like to run into an Alter of someone from my Reality and to have the first one I find be dead – murdered by the psycho Mutt we're after kinda threw me for a loop."

Elena could understand that – at least as well as one could without fully being able to wrap their head around the whole Reality jumping of it all. "Why did you leave your Reality?"

Thankfully Blair didn't have to answer that because a cab pulled up outside the RV. She pointed out the window to let Elena know and the two of them quickly went into the shower stall. After closing the plastic slider to block them from view, they huddled back and stayed quiet.

Cain's girlfriend, Amber, went into the RV, felt like something was up so threw a bunch of stuff into a bag and went back to the cab.

Once they were sure Amber was gone, they got out of the stall and went into the living room to see her ride off in the cab.

Using Blair's previous words, Elena said, "Let's hit it," and went back to her car to tail the cab.

* * *

After Amber was dropped off at the Bear Valley Diner, Blair and Elena gave her a few minutes to feel settled before going inside. They found her sitting at a booth near the door with a double-decker cheeseburger and plate of fries in front of her.

Elena was the first one to speak. "Must be hard getting your share when you live with someone like Cain." She slipped into the booth first and Blair sat beside her.

Amber swallowed a lump in her throat as she looked at the women across from her. "Tell me Cain is alive."

"He's alive," Elena answered, to which Blair added in, "For now."

Her next question was, "Is he hurt."

"We don't know. We've been too busy looking for you." Elena was very casual with her response.

Amber looked between them, trying to figure out which one of them was the Werewolf. Yeah, she knew all about Werewolves thanks to Cain. "How did you find me?"

"You didn't think to clear out your lover's truck." Blair took one of the fries from Amber's plate and popped it into her mouth with a smug grin.

Amber lowered her head, realizing her mistake.

Elena took that moment to ask, "I assume you know who I am?"

Amber nodded. "Elena, right?" She looked up at the young Asian woman beside her. "She your human pet?"

"I'm Blair. That's all you need to know." Blair leaned forward on the table a bit. "And you're Amber, right?" When Amber nodded, Blair had to take a deep breath to keep her temper in check. "You stabbed someone pretty damn important to us, Amber."

Now it was Amber who looked at Elena with a smug expression. "You mean your Alpha?"

Elena knew how dangerous it was for a Human to know their secrets. "What did Cain tell you?"

"You mean about the whole Werewolf thing?" Amber spoke without a care in the world.

"Keep your voice down if you know what's good for you." Blair practically seethed those words because the Diner was pretty crowded.

Amber wasn't phased by her threat. "Maybe I'll just shout it from the rooftops."

"Do that and I'll rip your heart out." Blair was done playing games with her.

Amber scoffed and spoke to Elena. "Tell your pet to keep quiet so you can tell me where my man is."

Blair growled deeply as she glared with Amber with yellow eyes. "I am no one's pet." With her point made, she returned them back to normal.

Amber looked at her in disbelief. "You – you're like them. You can't be like them. Cain told me only one woman has ever survived."

"Which is total bullshit if you ask me," Blair said casually as she leaned back against the booth with crossed arms. "Woman can't survive because we can't handle the pain? Do guys have _any_ idea how much pain women endure on a regular basis?"

Knowing that another female had survived the Bite, Amber was more determined now than before to get the Bite herself so she can Cain could really be together. In order for that to happen, she needed to know where he was. "Where is my man?"

Elena took point since Blair had done and said more than she probably should have. At least no one was paying attention to them when her eyes changed. "He's alive. And whether or not he stays that way depends on you." Since Amber was staying quiet, Elena decided to take a different approach. "Cain signed your death warrant. That's the basic rule – you can't know about us."

"That's your rule," Amber shot back. "Not Cain's."

"It's the only reason we've survived this long," Elena countered. "The Pack can't let you live. You will be trapped and killed by the best hunters in the world."

Blair stayed quiet about this because she honestly believed having Humans in the Pack could make them stronger. The majority of the men were Wolves? So be it. Let the majority of the women be warriors, leaders, healers. Just because they were Human didn't make them weak. This was something Blair experienced first-hand. Was it risky? Of course it was, but they should at least be given the chance to make the decision for themselves. But that's not how things worked here and clearly it wasn't going to change so Blair had nothing to say on this topic.

Amber wasn't buying what Elena was selling. "Then why don't you kill me?" She then looked to Blair. "Or you?"

"We're not the only ones you should be worried about." Elena was trying to get through to her.

Amber thought back to when she discovered Cain's secret. "Cain told me the rule when I found out. He couldn't do it though. He'd rather risk punishment than kill me. I thought, 'A real live Werewolf and he loves me'." Her face hardened as she looked at Elena and spoke with hate and envy in her voice. "And then I found out about you. The one woman who survived being Bitten. But you're not the only one now, are you?" She turned the same expression upon Blair. "The two of you are living the life that I want. I could be with Cain and no one would hunt me."

It was pretty clear that Amber was ride or die when it came to Cain. "You asked him to Bite you."

That she did. "He won't do it. He's afraid of losing me. Says it would break it heart." Amber chuckled, "He's got this thing…in his big thick head that your special somehow." Once more she looked at Blair but spoke to Elena. "But how special can you be if you're not the only one?" Amber went on to speak with such conviction. "I could survive it. I know I could. I could be just like you."

Elena felt her heart go out to Amber. Not in empathy but something resembling pity. "Trust me. You do not want this."

Blair felt the need to steer the conversation towards what they needed to know before she ended up offering something she had no intention of giving just for the information. "As enjoyable hearing how much you and Cain love each other is, how about we shift gears and you tell us about the poison."

Amber had no idea what Blair was talking about. "What poison?"

Blair wasn't in the mood for her to play ignorant. "You dipped your knife in poison – the knife you used to stab our friend. What did you use?"

Amber shook her head. "That must have been LeBlanc. I try to stay away from him. The guy skeeves me out."

At least Amber had enough sense to stay away from the guy. "No surprise there. He's a serial killer, Amber."

Amber paid no mind to that and got back to what she wanted. "Bring Cain back to me, and I'll tell you where to find LeBlanc."

Elena accepted that. She put some money on the table to cover Amber's bill. "Let's go. You show us where they are and I will do what I can to get Cain back to you, I promise."

"How do I know you're not going to kill him and me anyway?" Amber wanted to know the answer to this.

"All I can do is talk to Jeremy, but it is your only hope." Elena spoke with such emphasis because they were so close to getting what they needed but time was running out.

Amber looked down at her food, saying, "They told me you would say something like that. They were right about a lot of things." She glared at Blair. "But they never told me about you."

Blair sniffed the air and growled to herself. "Incoming."

Elena put her hand on Blair's arm to keep her from doing anything stupid as Marsten and LeBlanc came into the Diner and straight over to their table.

"Oh, run along, dearie," Marsten said to Amber. "We'll take it from here."

Amber waisted no time in grabbing her bag and getting the hell out of there. This opened the booth up for Marsten and LeBlanc to sit across from them. Marsten made himself comfortable with a smile. "Hello, Elena. And you, you must be the new She-Wolf. I almost didn't believe my ears when I heard about you. What is your name, dearie?"

"Bite me," Blair spat back, wishing she could rip their throats out right then and there.

Marsten chuckled at her words. "Clearly that's been done already, dearie."

Elena interjected here. She leaned on the table to get closer to Marsten. "Biting in psychos is one thing, but I never thought you'd be this reckless, Karl. How could you let a Human know about us? Are you out of your mind?"

"It wasn't my call," Marsten answered simply. "I'm merely a passenger on this ride."

Elena scoffed. "Still looking out for yourself, I see."

"I believe they call it 'looking out for number one'." Marsten countered. "And yes, indeed, I am. Something you should be thinking about doing too."

Elena looked at him like she wanted to kill him. "All I'm thinking about is snapping your neck."

"Really?" Blair tilted her head to the side a bit as she looked at Marsten. "I was thinking something a little more bloody to mess up his designer suit."

LeBlanc liked the way she talked and almost purred as he looked at her. "Mmm…I like that. The ones that try to fight back are the most fun."

"Then you're going to have enough fun to last you a lifetime." Blair growled as she spoke, "I _always_ fight back."

Marsten cleared his throat to interrupt this exchange and turned his attention to Elena. "I believe Daniel Santos made you an offer. It still stands. And of course, it is now extended to your fellow She-Wolf. Neither of you want to end up on your own out there. Believe me, it's no picnic."

Blair had no idea what Marsten was talking about in regards to a deal being offered to Elena, but she didn't give any hint to that.

Elena looked at Marsten incredulously. "I don't get it, Karl. What did the Pack ever do against you?"

"Hasn't done much for me either," Marsten retorted. "How many times must I ask for territory?"

LeBlanc leaned on the table as his slid his hand under the table towards Blair. "I could kill you right now. A slice down your femoral artery would be so easy. You would bleed out in thirty seconds."

Blair shot her hand out to grab his and twisted it, making him grunt in discomfort. "What are you doing?" he demanded to know of her.

"Try and make a public scene and you won't have to worry about the cops coming to take you back to whatever hole you crawled out of. You'll have me to deal with and trust me – with what you've done to the people I care about – you will not survive." Blair gave his hand one more twist, snapping the bone, before releasing it. She ran her hand through her hair and acted like nothing had just happened.

LeBlanc whimpered from the pain but didn't draw any attention to them. "You bitch."

"I've been called worse." Blair leaned on the table and smiled sweetly. "Tell us about the poison."

LeBlanc laughed through the pain. "It won't do any good. It's already too late."

Blair shot out her foot under the table hard enough to break a bone in LeBlanc's leg.

He let out another whimper and caved. "Ricin, dammit. Ricin." His voice was breathy due to trying to breathe through the pain.

Blair smiled, "Now was that so hard?" She got out of the booth and left the Diner. Elena was about to follow but stopped when Marsten said to her,

"She is a fiery one, isn't she?"

Elena stuck around long enough to say, "You haven't seen the half of it," before heading straight to her car. Blair was already in the passenger seat and when Elena got in, she asked, "You know the antidote to ricin?"

"There isn't one," Blair replied as Elena pulled onto the road. "The only thing we can do is get it out of his system as quickly as possible. He needs a blood transfusion – something I did for him earlier with my blood. I'm O-Negative, don't worry. Now we know he needs more of it."

Elena looked a Blair to say, "You were right to give him your blood. One way or another, your blood is going to save him."

* * *

When Blair and Elena got back to Stonehaven and told Jermey he was poisoned with ricin, he confirmed that another blood transfusion was needed. Instead of Blair putting blood into an bag for the IV, Elena set up a direct transfusion link between Jeremy and Blair.

Blair laid on the other bed in the infirmary next to Jeremy's. "Is this a good time to say 'I told you so' or should I wait until you're better?"

Jeremy chuckled weakly. "You better bet it out of your system now while I'm too weak to scold you for it."

Blair accepted that and said, "I told you so," in a sing-songy voice before closing her eyes as her blood flowed right into Jeremy. Elena's words echoed in her mind that one way or another her blood would be saving Jeremy. It wasn't enough to make up for Antonio's death, nothing ever would, but knowing that Jeremy would survive took off a little bit of the weight upon her heart.

* * *

Once enough blood was given, more than enough because Blair wouldn't let Elena take out the IV thing until she was sure, Elena helped Blair downstairs to get some much needed juice in her system. Blair sat at the kitchen table and traced her fingers over the grooves of the wood. There was no trace of Antonio ever having been there.

"Drink this." Elena slid her over a glass of orange juice. "And eat these." She slid over a plate of cookies as well. "You gave him too much blood, you know."

"I know," Blair admitted before taking a sip of juice. "But I gave him the supposed right amount before and it just deed enough to keep the ricin at bay. I wasn't going to take any chances. I'll be fine in a few minutes when my healing kicks in." In the meantime, Blair was enjoying the juice and the cookies, but would have preferred them with milk. Oh well.

Clay walked into the kitchen and instantly saw how pale Blair was. "What happened?" He sounded pretty worried.

Since Blair was drinking, Elena answered. "Jeremy was poisoned with Ricin. Blair gave him more of her blood, a little too much. They'll both be fine." She cleared her throat. "Where were you?"

"The Sherriff came by," Clay answered as he sat at the table. "She wanted to ask questions about Braxton. I had to get her out of here."

Blair swallowed a gulp of juice and set down the glass. "They think you did it?"

Clay shook his head. "They don't have anything. They're fishing." He looked between them, asking, "How did you know it was ricin?"

Elena knew this was coming. "We had a talk with LeBlanc at the Diner."

Blair could see how frustrated Clay was with them because they didn't call. "Before you get upset or anything, he left the diner with a broken hand and a cracked leg. _And_ we got the information. I think you can let us not calling you slide for that."

Clay hit a glass off the table so hard it shattered against the wall. "Every time we get close they slip away!" He was so frustrated about all this.

"Saving Jeremy was more important, don't you think?" Elena countered.

Clay had a counter argument of his own. "You could have called me to deal with the Mutts with you while Blair came back here to help Jeremy. Did you ever think of that? Dammit, you were supposed to call me!"

Blair had a feeling that there was more about why Clay was upset than he was saying, so Blair took her juice and plate of cookies and went outside through the kitchen door to leave them to their argument. It was getting so heated between them that she doubted they even noticed she was gone.

Blair went around to the front steps and sat down with a sigh of relief. Her healing was kicking in to take care of the blood loss, but still, it was nice to sit. And the cookies certainly didn't hurt matters. Blair took a bite out of one then held her hand over her eyes to block the lights coming from a car pulling up the drive. She recognized that it was Nick's car so she didn't call out for backup.

Nick turned off the vehicle and went over to Blair sitting on the front steps. "Waiting up for me?"

"Happy coincidence." Blair lifted the plate of cookies to him. "Cookie?"

"Don't mind if I do." Nick plucked one off the plate and sat on the step beside her. "You okay?"

"That's a loaded question, Nick." Blair looked down with a sigh before admitting, "No, not really." She turned to face him. "Are you okay?"

Nick turned her words back upon her. "That's a loaded question, Blair." He took a bite of his cookie and swallowed before speaking again. "No, not really." Nick moved some of Blair's raven black hair behind her ear. "But I'll get there."

Blair smiled and scooted closer to Nick so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, me too. Eventually."

Nick held out his cookie towards her. "Cheers to eventually."

Blair smiled and touched her cookie to his. "To eventually." She didn't mean to, but she caught a woman's scent on Nick's jacket. "Nice perfume," she teased.

"Ah, that'd belong to my club manager. She kinda got the wrong idea." Nick took another bite of his cookie and didn't continue until Blair looked up at him with a curiously raised brow. "I was talking about someone and she thought I was talking about her, so she kissed me. I kinda felt bad for her when I explained and apologized for misleading."

Blair still wasn't quite able to put two and two together on that. "You must have been saying some pretty powerful stuff to make her react like that. If you weren't talking about her, then who were you talking about?"

Nick looked at her with a soft expression on his face as he gently cupped her chin. "You." He was about to lean down for a kiss but was interrupted when the front door opened.

Elena stepped out to tell them, "Jeremy is in the Great Room. He wants to see you both."

Blair quickly gathered up her things and went inside before Nick could do or say anything else. She still felt that she couldn't let any happen between them – not when he didn't know everything and she was terrified if he did know everything that he wouldn't want anything to do with her at all.

Blair set the cookie plate and her juice glass on the table in the foyer before walking into the Great Room. She smiled at Jeremy who was resting on the sofa with a cup of tea in his hand. "You look better."

"Thanks to you and Elena." Jeremy looked at Nick who entered next. "Have you heard from Logan?"

"I've texted him a bunch of times but haven't heard back. I can see he's getting them, though." Nick leaned back against the table. "Logan knows his place, he'll be back. Right now we need to focus on finding Marsten, Santos, LeBlanc, and anyone else in league with them. I will kill them myself with pleasure."

Blair sat on the arm of the chair as Clay came into the room. "How's Cain?"

"He's done," Clay answered as he walked towards them.

"I'll help you with the body." Nick was about to stand, but Clay stopped him.

"It's my responsibility," Clay answered firmly. More calmly, he added in, "I'll deal with it." Clay turned to Jeremy. "We have another problem. Santos hired Jimmy Koenig. He's coming for us."

Elena needed to think for a moment. "Koenig…why do I know that name?"

"I don't know it," Blair cut in. "Who the hell is Jimmy Koenig?"

Jeremy set down his cup of tea and explained. "He was the Pack enforcer long before I became Alpha."

Nick picked up from there. "You know all those files about dead Mutts down there? Koenig is responsible for most of them. My father used to call him 'The Killing Machine'."

Blair let out a nervous whimper. "I need a drink."

"Sleep," Jeremy countered. "We'll start planning for Koenig in the morning."

"I don't think I'll be sleeping any time soon," Blair muttered to herself but headed for the stairs anyway. She walked up a few of them but stopped to sit before she even made it to the landing. It wasn't that Blair physically couldn't make it up the stairs, it was that she mentally couldn't. They couldn't seem to catch a break. It was one thing right after the other. Would they ever have a chance to just breathe?

Blair dropped her face in her hands and when she looked up again, Nick was standing at the bottom of the stairs. There was so much she wanted to say to him but all she got out was, "Goodnight, Nick," before she got to her feet and ran up the stairs without anyone stopping her.

Nick felt so confused and jumbled. He would swear Blair felt the same way about him as he felt about her but she kept running away from it. She would keep letting him get close but never close enough. That wasn't going to stop Nick, though. If she wasn't ready then he'd wait. She was worth the wait – she was worth everything.

Even though Blair was already up the stairs and out of sight, he said, "Goodnight, Blair," not knowing that she was standing at the top of the stairs out of sight, having heard with he said with a soft smile upon her face.

* * *

End Episode 6


	7. You're my father, prepare to die

Jimmy Koenig was coming and the Pack had to prepare. Jeremy set up a meet at an old soap factory outside of Bear Valley to settle it 'old school'. Jeremy was still recovering but according to Nick 80% Jeremy was better than 100% Mutt. Blair hoped he was right about that, just like she hoped that whatever strange feeling she woke up with that morning would soon go away.

Blair was on her way out to train with Nick and the others but had to stop because she felt weird again. It was like her body wanted to do something it wasn't meant to do and was causing some major discomfort for her.

Nick noticed her change in demeanor and went back to her. "Hey, you okay?"

"My body hates me this morning." That pretty damn close to what she was feeling anyway. Blair could see that Nick wanted more details than that, so she obliged. "I woke up this morning feeling weird. Like – like my body wants to… _do_ something. I don't know how else to explain it."

"Maybe it's because of the full moon tonight," Nick joked and quickly explained that he wasn't serious because of the 'WTF' expression on Blair's face. "I'm kidding. Despite the lore, we're not tethered to the full moon for anything. As you know, we can Shift whenever we want." He was done joking around and got serious. "Maybe your healing didn't take care of all the blood you gave Jeremy."

The feeling passed and Blair felt back to normal. "The feeling's gone and I'm fine. We have more important things to think about like dealing with Koenig."

Nick knew better than to push her about something, so he let it slide but intended on keeping an eye on her. "I'm training with Jeremy this morning. You with Clay and Elena?"

Blair nodded at that. "Yep and it's going to be _so much fun_." Her emphasis was more sardonic than anything else.

Nick chuckled at her response. "See you after."

Blair saluted as he sprinted outside and was about to follow but had to stop herself again. She moved to the wall and braced herself against it as her back rippled as the bones cracked and set in a new way before cracking and resetting in the original one. It was so painful that Blair almost cried out but it was over almost as soon as it began so no sound escaped her. Blair had no idea what had just happened but wasn't going to say anything to anyone about it because, like she said before, they had more important things to worry about.

What was all the weirder was that she actually felt a little better after whatever just happened. She summed it up to her body needing to Change since she hadn't in a little bit and pushed aside the fact that it felt nothing like it.

* * *

If only Blair felt better for longer because not long after starting her sparring match with Clay did she start feeling horrible again and thus resulted in getting her butt kicked. Blair hit the ground hard once again and didn't even bother getting up this time.

"What is with you today?" Clay hadn't seen her like this before. "You're not even trying."

"I am trying," Blair countered as she took deep breaths. "It's just not working." She got up reluctantly when Clay took her arm and pulled her up.

"This is not the time to be off your game, Blair. Koenig is a cold-blooded killer." Clay had to make sure Blair understood this. She needed to be prepared.

"I'm quite familiar with cold-blooded killers, thank you," Blair shot back without thinking.

Clay assumed who she was referring to. "You mean the Mutt that Bit you? What he did was nothing compared to what Koenig is capable of. You can't lose your focus. If you do – even for a second – Koenig will spot it and kill you for it."

Blair knew he was right and would just have to try harder. "Okay, let's run it…" She didn't get a chance to get the words out because she dropped to her knees in pain as the bones in her back cracked and reset over and over again before returning to their normal state. "Bloody hell!" Blair shouted. If that was going to keep happening then there was going to be a problem.

Clay hadn't seen anything quite like that before but said the first thing that came to his mind. "When was the last time you went for a Run?" he asked as he helped her to her feet again.

"It's been awhile," she admitted. "You think that's what's causing whatever that was?"

"It's not the first time it's happened?" Clay was starting to worry slightly.

"It hasn't happened before today." Blair ran her hand through her hair. "You're probably right. I'm sure I just need to go for a Run."

Clay hoped that was the case, if not then this might be a problem. "You better hurry up about it and get it out of your system. We can't afford to have you losing control when we go after Koenig."

Blair nodded, "Okay," and sprinted off to the woods so she could Change into her Wolf and go for a Run.

Elena came out of the house just in time to see Blair run off. "Where's she going?"

"It looked like the Change was trying to force itself on her. She's going for a Run to take care of it." There was a bit of doubt in Clay's voice as he spoke.

Elena was quick to pick up on this. "But you don't think it's just that?"

"I don't know what to think when it comes to her Wolf," he admitted. "She's different than us, Elena. Who knows what to expect?"

Meanwhile, Blair went into a clearing in the woods, stripped off her clothes, and got ready for the Change. Only this time when the Change took over, it felt different. It was almost as if her body was shaping into something else than her Wolf. Blair didn't have time to think about it or try to stop it because the pain was so overwhelming that she blacked out.

* * *

When Blair awoke, she was in a different part of the woods and had no recollection of how she got there. It was worrying her a bit because she always remembered what happened during Runs, but not this time. Blair got to her feet and sniffed the air to find her way back to her clothes and stopped when she spotted a tree that had large claw marks carved deep within its trunk. "Did I do that?" she asked aloud then shook her head because it would have been impossible for her Wolf to have done that…right?

After successfully finding her clothes, she headed back to the house. Blair didn't even make it inside before Nick came rushing out to her.

"Where have you been?" Nick asked her worriedly. "We were seriously about to send Elena out to find you."

Blair didn't think she'd been gone that long. "I just went for a Run. Why?"

"Blair, you've been gone for hours." Nick was afraid something had happened to her. "Don't go off on Runs alone anymore. Not until this Mutt situation is handled."

Blair could hear the worry in his voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was that long." She reached out and cupped the side of his face. "It won't happen again."

Nick placed his hand over hers and turned his head to take in her scent before kissing the inside of her wrist. "You can't disappear on me too."

That was the last thing Blair wanted to do. "I wasn't trying to."

When their eyes locked, Nick leaned down to kiss her but was interrupted _again_.

"Blair," Clay said from the doorway, "Jeremy wants to see you. Now."

Blair let out the breath she didn't even realize she was holding and took her hand back from Nick before going inside.

Clay stepped outside and went over to Nick. "You're falling for her, I get it, but neither one of you can afford any distractions right now."

"You mean like you and Elena?" Nick shot back.

Clay's face hardened a bit. "The difference being – I'm able to put it aside until I finish what needs to get done. Can you? Can _she_?" When Nick didn't say anything right off, Clay scoffed, "That's what I thought."

* * *

While the boys were hashing that out, Blair went into the kitchen and found Jeremy sitting at the head of the table. "Blair, sit," was Jeremy's greeting.

Blair had a feeling she was in trouble as she sat in the chair he gestured to. "Jeremy, I'm sorry…" she began to say, but he cut her off.

"I thought I could trust you to go out alone. I thought we were past this." Jeremy sounded very disappointed in her.

"You can! We are!" Blair answered quickly. "I don't know what happened, Jeremy. When I started to Change the pain was _nothing_ like it usually is. It was so bad that I blacked out and when I woke up I was _way_ deep in the forest. I got my clothes and came right back here. I have no memory of the Run. I had no clue how long I was gone for. I mean it, Jeremy. I wouldn't have done this deliberately."

Jeremy believed her. Whether or not she realized it, he'd gotten pretty good at determining when she was telling the truth and holding something back. And he could tell right then that she wasn't holding anything back. "Do you feel better now? Clay told me what happened while you were practicing."

Blair did feel a hell of a lot better and told him that. "Yes, definitely. It was probably just a fluke because I hadn't Wolfed-out in awhile. I'm good Jeremy. I'm here and I'm ready."

Jeremy nodded in acceptance. "Good. Because we're going to the factory soon. This ends today."

* * *

Blair waited inside the factory with the others while Jeremy greeted Koenig. She couldn't wait for this to be done and over with. Blair heard the exchange between them outside which was nothing of importance but when he heard Koenig say, "You brought help", she froze. Blair had heard this voice before – it was as familiar to her as her own. But it _couldn't_ be who she heard. This guy was supposed to be Jimmy Koenig…not Jae Han.

She had to see for herself and when she walked outside, she could hardly believe her eyes. This man looked _exactly_ like Jae Han from her Reality – exactly like her _father_.

Of course, Blair didn't know that Koenig was just one of his many aliases and he was in fact the Jae Han of this Reality. This man was her father's Alter – the father of her Alter.

Koenig lit his cigarette and looked behind him. "Only four? I heard the Pack number were dwindling, but this is just pathetic." He paused for a moment on Blair. "Another female in the Pack? Your Bites must be doing something right."

Jeremy didn't respond to that and said, "I ordered them not to get involved. This is between us."

"Your funeral." He dropped the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. "And I won't even break a sweat."

Blair almost couldn't register the fight that was going on between Jeremy and 'Koenig'. Her mind was swirling with questions that needed answers that contorted with the confused emotions bubbling inside her. When Blair finally brought herself back to the present, Koenig had beaten Jeremy to the ground and Nick tried to intervene but ended up getting thrown back into the rest of them.

Koenig took off running into the factory and once they all got their footing, Jeremy ordered, "Split up and find him."

Blair wanted – no, she _needed_ to be the first one to find him. Before anything else happened, Blair had to get answers. She needed them.

* * *

Blair went up the metal stairs to the higher level of the factory. It was like she was being pulled in that direction. When Blair reached a hallway she looked down both ends and after breathing deeply, she picked on. Despite the fact that she wanted to run like hell to find him, Blair took slow and steady steps. "I know who you are 'Koenig'," Blair called out, hoping to bait him into showing himself. "I know your real name. You're Jae Han."

Before Blair could react, Koenig – correction – _Jae_ appeared behind Blair and wrapped his arm around her neck. "How could you possibly know that?" he seethed, demanding to know. "No one knows that name."

Blair didn't react yet and answered his question. "Does the Alden name mean anything to you?"

Now this caught Jae's attention he released his grip around her neck and spun her around, holding tight. Of course he knew the Alden name. He had been with a woman of that family and when she got pregnant and he found out it was a girl, he disappeared. It couldn't be. "Impossible."

Blair looks at him seriously. "My name is Blair Alden Han. You're my father…prepare to die." _Now_ she reacted. Blair swung her arms up and forced his hands off her before quickly kicking him in the gut.

Instead of fighting back, Jae took off to take care of what he was hired to do – kill Jeremy. There'd be time enough to deal with Blair later. Besides, he had orders not to kill her anyway.

Blair was about to take off after him but felt the pain surging through her again. It came in waves that made her speechless. Blair dropped to the floor and focused on her breathing as her body cracked and reformed. This Change overtook Blair quickly, causing her to black out just like before, and was much different than her normal Wolf. Her hands turned to claws as fur sprouted all over her body, her height increased by several inches, and her face changed into a Wolf-like appearance. Blair's bi-pedal Wolf stood up and breathed heavily, her eyes glowing yellow. Blair's Wolf knew what needed to be done and with a snarl, stalked down the hallway to do it.

* * *

This side of Blair's Wolf was purely instinctual – kill the threat to her Alpha. When the sounds of gunshots echoed through the factory, she paid no mind. It had nothing to do with her target. Killing Jae Han was the only thing on her mind and she would not rest – not give her human side control again – until it was done.

Her head cocked to the side as she inhaled deeply. She could smell Jeremy…and Jae. They must be together now. Blair roared at this fact and ran faster than she ever had before towards their scents. When she arrived at their end of the factory, Jae had kicked Jeremy so hard that he went flying. This made Blair roar again and charge at Jae. She tackled him to the floor and started using her claws to hack and slash at his chest over and over again until well after there was no life left in him.

Nick had arrived and saw this, saw _her_. He had never seen a Werewolf look like that before and wasn't sure what to do about it, so he went over to Jeremy. Apparently that was a mistake because now her sights were set on him.

Blair's yellow eyes seemed to glow as she snarled at what was deemed as a new threat to her Alpha. She didn't recognize him – she couldn't – not in this state.

Jeremy grimaced a bit as he got to his feet and tried to get Blair to listen to him. "Blair, you need to listen to me. You need to Change back, Blair. Focus."

His words fell on deaf ears because Blair had a new purpose now – to kill the new threat. She roared at Nick and charged at him. And just when she was about to slash at him too, he spoke to her and she froze.

"It's me!" Nick exclaimed as he held his hands out to her. "It's Nick. Blair…don't disappear on me, please."

Blair's Wolf grumbled a bit as she put her clawed hand around to the back of Nick's head and pulled him close. She inhaled deeply and recognized his scent. Now that was something she could never forget. She released her grip on him and stepped back. Her eyes turned to normal and her body cracked and shifted as it returned to her normal state.

When this was done, Blair was so weak. She looked at Nick and smiled every so slightly. "Nick…what happened?" As soon as those words left her, she lost all strength and collapsed.

Nick caught her before she hit the floor and scooped her up in his arms. He looked at Jeremy worriedly, "What was that?"

Jeremy couldn't answer that for sure, but he could guess that it was another one of her different abilities. "We'll figure it out later. Take her back to Stonehaven now. I'll find Clay and Elena."

Nick accepted his orders and carried Blair out of the factory to the cars to get her back to Stonehaven as quickly as he possibly could.

* * *

It was well into the night when Blair woke up and it took her a moment or two to realize she was in her bedroom at Stonehaven. She pushed herself into a sitting position and realized Nick was standing at the window, looking outside. "Nick?"

He quickly turned when he heard her speak. "Hey." Nick sat on the edge of the bed beside her and moved some hair out of her face. "You're awake."

"Still tired though." Blair closed her eyes and reopened them. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

Nick nodded. "Some cuts and bruises, but we're all alive. All except for Koenig. You kinda went all 'Wolf-Woman' and took care of him."

"He's dead?" Blair could hardly get the words out. "I – I killed him?"

Nick thought she was freaking out because this was her first kill and tried to calm her down. "Hey, it's okay. You saved Jeremy. You didn't do anything wrong, okay?"

Blair had to remind herself over and over that the man in this Reality wasn't her own father but the father of her Alter. The man she killed wasn't the man who raised her, took care of her, and loved her in her Reality. This man was a monster who needed to be put down. Blair knew all this and yet it hurt. It hurt to know that she would never get the answer she didn't realize she wanted until that moment…

She pushed those thoughts from her mind and nodded to indicate that she heard what Nick said. After a second, something clicked. "What did you mean by I went all 'Wolf-Woman'?"

Nick wasn't quite sure how to explain that, other than, "Well, you've seen the Wolfman movie, right?" When Blair nodded, he said, "Basically…that."

Blair's mouth gaped open a bit because that wasn't something she was used to and all she could think to say was, "I blame it on the full moon."

"We're not tied to the moon," Nick pointed out again, but that didn't seem to matter to her.

"I don't care. Give me this one," Blair pleaded. "I blame it on the full moon."

Nick didn't want to add any more stress on her and conceded. "Okay. For tonight, we'll blame it on the moon."

"Thank you." Blair was still exhausted and just wanted to get some sleep. She slid back down into a lying position and snuggled into the blanket.

Nick got the hint and smiled softly at her. "Goodnight, Blair." He was about to stand up but her hand shot out to stop him.

"Stay…please? I don't want to be alone." Blair left out the part where the only one she wanted to be around was him.

"I can do that." Nick was more than willing to do that. He moved to the other side of the bed and climbed onto the covers. Nick snuggled closer to Blair and wrapped his arm around her.

Blair held his arm close and closed her eyes as she took in his scent. She hadn't felt so safe and content in so long and wanted to savor the moment before her exhaustion took over and caused her to fall back asleep.

Nick kissed the top of her head and turned towards the door when he heard footsteps.

Jeremy quietly entered the room to check on Blair and wasn't surprised to find Nick with her. "How is she?" he asked in a soft tone to not wake her up.

"She's pretty shaken about killing Koenig and the 'Wolf-Woman' form." Nick spoke in hushed tones as well. "But she's strong. She'll get through it."

Jeremy nodded at this because he agreed but didn't say anything about it. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Nick rested his head on the pillow beside Blair's and closed his eyes to breathe in her scent before falling asleep as well.

Nick didn't care of Blair was complicated in more ways than one, he didn't want to be with anyone else. Whether or not Blair knew it, he belonged to her completely and would wait an eternity for Blair to feel the same.

Little did Nick know, Blair was already feeling that way – She was just too afraid to admit it.

* * *

End Episode 7


	8. Aldens

Blair sat at the kitchen table, absentmindedly stirring the cup of coffee in front of her. All she could think about was how Jimmy Koenig was just her father's alias in this Reality and that when she went all 'Wolf-woman' on him…she killed him. She still had no memory of what happened and perhaps that was for the best. Knowing she killed the Jae Han of this Reality was one thing, actually reliving the memory over and over again was something different – something Blair didn't think she could handle. It made her think about her mother in this Reality and a part of her wanted to find her.

Jeremy went into the kitchen and was glad to see Blair alone because he wished to speak with her. He hadn't had a chance to the night before since she'd been asleep for so long, but now he had the opportunity and was going to take it. "Glad to see you up and about. I was starting to worry."

"I'm fine." Blair's reply was as absentminded as her stirring.

Jeremy made himself a cup of tea and sat at the table across from her. "Nick mentioned that you were dealing with the fact you killed Koenig. You told me before that you have taken a life – Was that true or were you trying to make a point?"

Blair stopped stirring and looked at him. "It was true. But this time was different."

"Because you don't remember?" Jeremy guessed.

"Because he was my father," Blair replied and took a long sip of her now cold coffee, but she didn't even notice that.

Jeremy didn't think he had heard her correctly. "Your father? Blair are you certain?"

"Jimmy Koenig was just an alias, right?" Blair already knew the answer to this, but she needed him to say it before she could continue. When he nodded in confirmation, she added in, "His name was Jae Han, right?"

Jeremy had no idea how Blair could have possibly known this because not many did. "How do you know this?"

Blair set down her mug, held it with both hands, and stared at it. "If I tell you something do you promise not to tell Nick? I don't want him to look at me differently – to _see_ me differently." It was time to tell Jeremy. Blair felt it was time to tell him.

Jeremy bowed his head and vowed, "I give you my word."

Blair took a deep breath and told him everything about how she wasn't from this Reality and was pretty much 'possessing' the body of her Alter here. She told him about how she was a Werewolf there and that was likely the reason why she survived the Bite here. She included how she was tied to the full moon there which was probably why she had a weird wolf form the day of the full moon here. Blair told him _everything_ – about her witch friend Bonnie, why the Elena Gilbert article bothered her so much, and how she knew that Jimmy Koenig/Jae Han was her father because he was in her Reality.

She couldn't look at him by the time she was done because she didn't want to see the look in his eyes. Blair figured he probably felt betrayed because she had lied for so long and because in a big way she wasn't who he thought she was.

The silence between them was becoming painful for Blair and she figured just what it was for. "If you want me to leave the Pack, I understand."

Jeremy was just processing all that he had heard. Honestly it explained so much – how Turning was no surprise for her, all the little side comments, and just about everything else. It was no wonder now why she took all this so well – in a way she had lived it before. Jeremy believed her story because when he was younger he had heard stories of those with the same faces but different lives who could travel from one life to the next, but he never believed the stories to be true. Apparently they were because he had one of those 'Travelers' right in front of him.

It caught Jeremy off guard when Blair said she'd understand if he wanted her to leave the Pack. "Why would I make you leave the Pack?"

Now Blair looked at him. "Because of everything I just told you."

Jeremy sighed deeply. "Blair, I have always suspected that there was something different about you – even before we discovered that you were more enhanced than us. What you told me is just the explanation I was looking for. I appreciate you finally telling me, and I understand why you waited so long. Your story is not an easy one to tell especially since it is not an easy one to believe." He reached out and took Blair's hand in his, giving it a supportive squeeze. "You are Pack, you are family, and you are not going anywhere. This is where you belong." He took his hand back and drank some tea. "I must say I do not understand why you don't wish Nick to know."

Blair felt like she was going to cry for a number of reasons but pushed all that aside when Jeremy mentioned Nick. "He won't see me the same way. He'll wonder if it's me that he's connected to or my Alter because they're as much a part of me now as my own self is. He may hate me for keeping all this a secret. I – I would rather have Nick in my life as something than in my life as nothing." Every time Blair gave her list of reasons they sounded more like excuses.

Jeremy didn't think that made much sense and didn't want to push her on it, but he had to say something first. "Is that fair to him, though?"

Blair shook her head. "Probably not, but I can't tell him. I never wanted anyone to know but after what happened with my father – my Alter's father – I needed to tell you. I couldn't keep it to myself anymore."

Jeremy nodded. "As I said, I appreciate that." An idea came to his mind and he proposed it to Blair. "Elena is going back to Toronto for her photography show. After all you've been through, you deserve some time away. And since your Other Wolf won't be an issue for awhile, I don't see why you cannot go with her if you so wish."

Blair had a feeling there was more to this than what he was saying. "With everything going on you're giving me permission to go on a mini-vacation?" She raised her brow at that. "What's the catch?"

Jeremy smiled in slight amusement at how she was able to pick up on that so quickly. "Clay is also going with Elena."

Now Blair got it. "Ah, so you want me to go with them and be a buffer?"

Jeremy shrugged slightly as he sipped his tea. "Something like that."

A part of Blair wanted to decline but an even bigger part of her wanted to get away, so she agreed. "I'll go pack." She brought her mug to the sink and went upstairs to do just that.

Jeremy stayed at the table for a little while longer as he thought about what Blair told him about her mother. Centuries ago the Aldens were a prominent Wolf family and were the leaders of the Pack but their lineage dwindled when only female children were born and thus no more male Wolves to continue on the line so eventually the Alden Wolves 'died off'. Jeremy's father, Malcolm, wanted to ensure that the Alden Wolves would never come to power again so he ordered Koenig/Han to wipe them out. Clearly one of them survived, at least survived long enough to have Blair.

He debated whether or not to share this bit of history with Blair but decided that she'd already been through enough. There would be time enough to share all that with later – if the time ever arose.

* * *

Nick went upstairs and found Blair in her room throwing some things into a duffel bag. "You're leaving?" He was worried that she was leaving entirely because of what happened with Koenig.

"Jeremy wants me to go to Toronto with Clay and Elena to be a buffer between them, and to give me a moment to breathe." Blair really didn't want to discuss this anymore and hoped he'd get the hint, but he didn't.

Nick still thought she was spinning over killing Koenig in her Other Wolf form. "Blair, you didn't do anything wrong. Koenig deserved what he got. I know that you…"

Blair cut him off there, shouting, "You don't know anything! You don't know me Nick so don't assume anything about me." Her emotions really got the better of her in that moment, but maybe it was for the best. Maybe it'd be better for him to be angry at her for this than to hate her for what she was – just a visitor in this Reality with secrets up to Kingdom Come.

Nick's expression dropped when she yelled at him. "We're back to one step forward, ten steps back again?" He shook his head a bit incredulously before addressing what she said. "You know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't know you, but whose fault is that, huh? You're the one putting up walls, Blair. Not me. I care about you. I see you. And I do know you. I'll wait forever for you to realize that because, while you think I may not know a lot, I know that you're worth waiting for." Nick backed out of her room, saying, "The ball's in your court now. Do with it what you will. You know where to find me."

Blair opened her mouth to speak but nothing came and then he was gone. She didn't believe she was worth waiting for. She didn't believe she was worth much of anything. All her life had been filled with so much pain and death and that just seemed to follow her here. Nick didn't deserve to be a part of that – he didn't deserve to be a part of her Curse. As much as she felt something for him and as much as she wanted to be with him too, she couldn't let herself. Blair made all these reasons why she didn't want him to know and why they couldn't be together but really…she was afraid. She was afraid that if she cared about him too much – if she _loved_ him too much then he would get ripped out of her life just like so many others. If Nick died because of her…she would never be able to forgive herself. That would be one death she would never recover from in this Reality or any other.

Blair pushed all thoughts out of her mind other than what she'd need for Toronto and finished packing. By the time she got downstairs, Clay and Elena were in the foyer waiting for her.

"Got everything you need?" Elena asked as Blair joined them.

Blair nodded but said nothing and just walked past them and out of the house.

Clay and Elena both looked towards her as she went before looking at each other. "What's bothering her?" Clay wondered aloud.

Elena had a pretty good idea, or at least the gist of an idea. "How much time you've got?" was her reply as she picked up her bag and walked out of the house as well.

Clay figured he wasn't going to get a straight answer out of either of them so he slung his bag over his shoulder, walked out, and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Blair pretty much zoned out until they arrived it Toronto. It wasn't until she saw they were there that she pulled out her ear buds and spoke. "We going to Logan's first?" She knew that part of the reason for them going to Toronto was to bring Logan back to Stonehaven.

"She speaks," Clay teased as he looked at her in the rearview mirror. "I didn't know you were capable of being quiet for so long."

Elena chuckled lightly when Blair stuck out her tongue at Clay and answered her question. "Yes, Logan is our first stop. In fact, we're here."

Clay parked the car and the three of them went to Logan's front door. Blair rang the bell and when Logan answered, she made some jazz hands saying, "Surprise!"

"I almost forgot how weird you could be," was Logan's greeting. He saw how serious Clay and Elena looked so he took a deep breath and stepped aside. "Come on in. Rachel's not home so we can speak freely."

The three of them went inside and followed Logan into the living room. Blair sat on one of the chairs while Clay and Elena both sat on the sofa. Logan chose to stand.

Logan was the one to start the dialogue between them. "I know I owe you an explanation."

"We've been sent to bring you back," Clay answered, wondering why it even had to come to this.

"Jeremy's worried about you," Elena added in. "So are we. What's going on?"

Logan started pacing a bit. "H – how's Nick holding up?" That question was directed towards Blair.

Blair answered him the best she could. "He's holding."

"You should have been there," Clay interjected.

Blair went to Logan's defense. "Can we give him a chance to explain before making him feel guilty?" She waved her hand towards Logan. "Clearly he's going through something."

"I know I should have been there. It's just…" Logan wasn't ready to share this information, but he had to now. "Rachel's pregnant. It's a boy."

Blair's eyes widened a bit at this. "Oh, wow. No wonder you've been keeping your distance. You've got a Werewolf baby on the way with the woman you love and the Rules don't exactly allow that." She knew all about how the men would have to take their sons away from the mother in order to raise them as Werewolves. Blair hated that aspect of all this and sympathized. "I'd have done the same thing in your shoes."

Clay glared at her. "Not helping."

Elena cut into their exchange in order to talk to Logan. "So this is why you've been avoiding Jeremy?"

"I've been avoiding Pack Law," Logan countered, confirming Blair's assumptions as truth. "You know, the one that says I'm supposed to steal my newborn son from his mother and raise him as one of us?" He let out a sharp breath and went to the mantle. "Yesterday I got this." Logan picked up a small box and showed it to Elena. Its contents were a silver baby rattle with a note reading 'It's a Boy!'. "Thing is, no one knows we're pregnant, let alone that it's a boy."

Blair left her chair to sit on the arm of the sofa next to Elena so she could get a look at the box and such. "My money's on Santos. Leaving presents is his M.O. isn't it?"

Elena happened to agree with her. "He has been tracking our every move."

Clay pointed out what he felt was the obvious. "Jeremy needs to know about this. All of it."

Logan wasn't ignorant to this fact. "Trust me, I know. I've been trying to figure out how to explain this to him. I was going to tell him about the gift, but I was afraid he was going to order me home. And I'm **not** going to leave Rachel alone. It's not like I can take her to Stonehaven."

Elena stood up and went over to Logan. "I know I'm the last person you'd expect to hear this from, but you should talk to him. The Pack has been through a lot, and he needs you. And whether you realize it or not, you need him too. Especially if the Mutts are behind this." She held up the rattle before going to the window. "You need the support and protection of the Pack."

Logan heard everything Elena had to say but there was something else. "I think this goes beyond the rattle. There's a video of us running as Wolves at Cherry Beach."

"Whoa, what?" Blair wasn't expecting to hear that. "Seriously?"

"What are you talking about, Logan?" Elena needed to know exactly what was going on.

Logan wanted to answer but he looked at Clay, hesitant to do so.

Elena quickly picked up on this. "Look, Clay knows everything about my life here, Logan."

Since that was the case, he answered her. "Phillip came by, asking a lot of questions."

Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Phillip has the video?"

"One of his clients sent him footage for this ad campaign he's working on," Logan explained.

"Did he say who this client is?" Clay wanted to know, while trying to contain his temper about the situation.

"No," Logan replied and added in, "and thankfully he didn't seem too interested in the Wolves." He turned back to Elena. "Mostly because he was focused on the fact that your necklace and clothes were underneath the lifeguard tower. Elena, he thought we were having an affair."

Elena crossed her arms, trying to process all this. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him we went for a swim after our Run." It was the most logical thing Logan could come up with at the time.

Elena couldn't believe Logan told him that. "Great, skinny-dipping with my cousin, like that's not weird at all." She returned to her seat beside Clay.

"Well, he stopped suspecting _me_ of anything…" Logan went over to his desk and pulled out the Pack photo taken at Stonehaven a few years back, "after he saw this." He handed the framed photo to Elena.

Clay didn't get what Phillip could have gotten from that. "What do you think he saw?"

Logan didn't think that mattered. "Look, the important thing is that Phillip's client gave him footage that links to Elena. That's can't be a coincidence."

Elena set the photograph onto the coffee table. "Look, I'll deal with it, okay? Rachel is catering my opening tomorrow. Blair and Clay will also be there. That'll give you enough time to talk to Jeremy. All right?"

Logan still wasn't too sure about this, but he kept that to himself.

Blair wasn't sure if the others saw the hesitation on his face, but she sure did.

* * *

After leaving Logan's place, they went back to Elena and Phillip's apartment. Elena used her key after checking to make sure Phillip wasn't there. "Just let me get a dress and heels then we can go."

"How are you going to explain staying at a hotel?" Clay asked as he looked at the paintings on the wall.

"It'll be easier for me to explain staying at a hotel than you staying in the guest room," Elena answered as she walked out of the bedroom with her desired items.

"Guest room?" Blair laughed. "Nuh uh, he'd stay on the couch."

Clay looked at her blankly with a sardonic "Thanks," but a smile slightly quivered when Blair's grin beamed at him in reply. She was definitely becoming the little sister he never had, but wasn't going to tell her that since it'd likely go to her head.

This exchange was cut short when they all heard keys jingling in the door and then Phillip walked in. He looked at them in mild surprise then went straight to Elena. "There's my girl." Phillip hug and kissed Elena in greeting. "I missed you." He then smiled at Blair. "Good to see you, Blair"

Blair gave him a brief wave. "You too, Phillip."

Now Phillip turned his attention towards the only other man in the room. "Who's this?"

"Uh, this is Clay, my cousin. Clay, this is Phillip." Elena hoped that this would be the extent of the conversation.

Phillip extended his hand which Clay accepted while saying, "Heard a lot about you."

Phillip took his hand back after their handshake. "I wish I could say the same about you." He turned to Elena. "You didn't mention you were bringing guests."

"Actually, they were just leaving." Elena turned to Blair and Clay. "Blair and Clay are gonna be staying at a hotel. Right?"

"Well, we can't have cousins of Elena staying at a hotel," Phillip countered. "Blair, you're always welcome to stay here when you need to. And Clay, you should stay with us."

Elena looked at Clay and spoke in a way that hopefully subtle enough for Phillip to not catch onto but adamant enough for Clay to get it. "You wouldn't be comfortable. Blair's going to have the guest room so you'd be on the couch. And, come on, you won't even fit on the couch."

Clay went over to the couch and lounged back with ease. "Couch is fine."

Phillip decided that was that. "Then it's settled. You'll stay with us. After all, you're family."

Blair was leaning on the kitchen island, watching all this unfold with amusement. The only thing that would make this better was if she had a bowl of popcorn.

* * *

It was nightfall by the time things got settled and Blair walked out of the guest room, saying, "I forgot how comfortable those pillows are. If you find them missing, you know who stole them."

Phillip chuckled as he put a sheet on the couch for Clay to lay on. "If that happens I won't press charges."

Blair went over to Elena and nudged her playfully with a wink. "He's a keeper."

"Don't need to tell me." Elena smiled at Phillip fondly then took a sip from her wine glass when she caught how Clay was looking at them.

Clay took the conversation off Elena's relationship with Phillip by saying, "Must've been hard to build an ad agency from the ground up."

"It took a long time," Phillip admitted, "but it's finally starting to pay dividends."

"Do you find your clients, or do they find you?" Clay was trying to find out something about the client that sent Phillip the Wolf footage.

"A bit of both, actually." Now that Phillip was done getting the couch ready, he went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of scotch.

"Working on anything interesting?" Clay's attempts at getting info were futile so far, but he wasn't about to give up.

Phillip wasn't interested in discussing this. "You know what I'm interested in, is what brings you to Toronto, Clay. I already know that Blair is planning on building a life here, but I don't know anything about you."

Elena was the one who answered Phillip's question. "Uh, Anthropology."

Clay picked up his cue from there. "I'm looking at teaching again next semester at U of T. And of course, I didn't want to miss Elena's big show."

"Of course. Her fist big solo opening." Phillip looked at Elena as he said. "But it's no surprise she's come so far, so fast."

"Yes, Toronto's been good for her that way." Clay looked at a large photograph of a dancer as he spoke – it was one Elena had taken.

"No one captures the purity of human form quite like Elena." Phillip spoke of her proudly.

"Actually, I get something different," Clay countered as he looked at the photograph. "More the conflicted nature of humanity, mankind's baser instincts fighting to get out even while we deny them."

Blair could see how tense Elena was getting, so she cut in there. "The beauty of art – it's subjective. A half dozen people could look at the same piece and take away something different from it. Art— _good_ art has the ability to speak to different people in different ways. The fact Elena's piece can do just that makes her quite the talent."

Elena looked at Blair with such surprise because she never expected to hear anything like that from her. "Thank you, Blair."

"I'm not always a snarky bitch," Blair replied, smiling. "I have my moments."

Elena thought that would be a good time to break off for the night. "It's been a long day, so I'm gonna turn in."

Phillip agreed with her there. "It is about that time. Blair, Clay, make yourselves at home."

"Nighters, you two." Blair gave them a mini salute then turned to Clay who looked clearly uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything until Phillip and Elena went into their bedroom at the other side of the apartment. "So…you wanna play cards before or after we snoop?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of raiding the fridge then snooping," Clay replied as he went into the kitchen.

Blair followed and leaned against the kitchen island. "You won't find anything in there but kale and tofu."

Clay found that hard to believe because Elena lived there but when he opened the fridge, he found she was right. It was stocked up with only items of the tofu and vegetable variety. "How did you not starve the last time you were here?"

"Candy bars," Blair admitted with emphasis. "Lots and lots of candy bars."

Since there wasn't anything edible, Clay started his snooping. The first thing he checked out was the dining room table because it was covered with mock ups for an ad campaign – an ad campaign for 'Hunt Vodka' that was centered around wolves and 'the thrill of the hunt'.

Blair joined him and looked through some papers. She found one with a post-it on it reading 'James William 11:30 – Hunt Vodka pitch'. "Clay." Now that she had his attention, she handed it over so he could look at it himself.

Clay took in the information then handed it back so they could return everything to the way they had found it. Since it was a start, the snooping ended there…for now. "I believe you mentioned something about cards?"

Blair pulled a purple deck of playing cards from the inside pocket of her leather jacket. "Never leave home without them."

* * *

After a restless night's sleep, Blair finally got up and dressed. It pleased her senses when the smell of something delicious from the kitchen reached them. Blair went out to find the source of this being Clay and she sat at the kitchen island in awe. "You are officially my favorite person."

"You're only saying that because you're starving." Clay pushed the platter of pancakes towards her.

"Perhaps." Blair grinned teasingly then plucked one off the platter and enjoyed it immensely. "This so beats candy bars."

Elena walked out of the bedroom at that moment and saw that array splayed out for them. "What are you doing?" she practically hissed at Clay.

Clay held up his hands, one of which was still holding a spatula, in surrender. "Relax, I'm just making breakfast."

"In the haze of my starvation he has temporarily become my favorite person." Blair took a couple of pancakes this time and proceeded to enjoy those as well.

Phillip came out to join them and laughed happily at the surprise. "Wow! A hot meal, what a treat! Elena's, uh, not much of a breakfast person, though."

"Maybe it's the turkey bacon." Clay looked right at Elena as he added in, "At home she can't get enough of the real thing."

Blair couldn't help but hear a double meaning in what Clay said and almost choked on her pancake because of it. "I'm fine," she said through coughs. "Just ate too fast."

Elena's phone dinged then and saw a message. "Diane's waiting for me at the gallery. I have to go."

"Ooo, I'm coming with." Blair spun around on the stool and hopped off.

Clay got his coat, planning to join as well.

Elena didn't particular care for that. "You're coming?"

Clay's only response to that was a 'You already know that answer to that' expression.

Elena sighed at this then smiled at Phillip. "Are you able to join us?"

"Can't, sorry. Work." Phillip kissed Elena goodbye. "Exhale and enjoy your big day. I will see you there later." He took a piece of turkey bacon from the platter. "Thanks for doing this." Phillip took a bite then headed for the bedroom.

Blair snagged a short stack of pancakes for the road then looked between Clay and Elena because they were looking so intently at each other. "So are we gonna get going or are you two going to have this silent conversation all day?"

Elena sighed heavily, grabbed her things, and went out the door.

Blair took a bite of pancake before saying, "For what it's worth, I'm rooting for you."

Clay thought her opinion was quite different than that. "I thought you said he was a keeper."

"I did, and he is." Blair gestured towards where Elena left, saying, "But I never said she should be the one to keep him." She took a bigger bite to indicate she had nothing more to say and scooped up her bag on the way out of the apartment.

Clay thought about what she said as he made sure everything in the kitchen was turned off before leaving the apartment as well.

* * *

Everything went smoothly in regards to getting the gallery ready for Elena's show that evening. Blair was introduced to Phillip's sister Diane, as well as Rachel. After a brief conversation, Diane didn't have much to say to Blair because she was to hooked on Clay that her attention was all on him. Blair didn't mind in the least, mainly because of the amusement factor.

That evening, while the gallery opening was in full swing, Blair was about to snag a glass of champagne when she felt a shiver shoot up her spine. It was like her 'spidey senses' were tingling where she could sense the Wolf before seeing or smelling it. With all the perfume and cologne and food in the place, Blair doubted she'd be able to cut through all that without being too obvious so she kept her eyes peeled for any familiar Mutts.

Blair wanted to fill the others in but Clay was nowhere to be found and Elena was with Phillip so she went in search for them herself. She didn't see anyone familiar inside so she went out and that's where she found Santos sitting in his car. Blair's blood started to boil at the sight of him and she went right over.

While Santos was distracted by changing the radio station, Blair reached in through the open window and smashed his head against the steering wheel. "You must have a death wish showing up here."

"I'm just looking for some new art," Santos laughed, only to get his face smashed into the steering wheel again.

Blair moved her other hand to his throat and squeezed. "I've already killed one Mutt this week, why not add another to the list and finally end this war?"

Santos' voice was strained due to her grip, but he did manage to speak. "If you kill me then you'll never find out about your family."

"I know all I need to know about my family," Blair countered and was about to squeeze again but stopped when Santos got out,

"So Jeremy told you about the Alden Pack?"

Blair loosened his grip on his throat but grabbed his jacket, pulling him close. "What did you just say?"

Santos grinned at the fact he had her attention. "So he didn't tell you? Your precious Alpha didn't tell you that once the Aldens used to rule all of the North American territories. They were largest blood Pack in the history of Werewolves but as time went on fewer males were born but the bloodline continued, even if they were just humans."

Blair shook her head. "You're lying."

"I'm not. I know that Jimmy Koenig – that Jae Han was your father and I know where your mother is." Santos was just waiting for her to take the bait.

Blair pulled on him so hard that he was practically out of the car. "You're lying!" she snarled, her eyes starting to glow yellow.

Santos smirked, "You kill me and you'll never find out."

"I'm okay with that." Blair was about to snap his neck but was distracted when Diane called out,

"Blair? Are you alright?"

Santos took advantage of this distraction and got out of Blair's grip before speeding away, picking up Victor Olsen before leaving completely.

Diane looked at her in confusion, "What was that about?"

Blair said the first thing that came to her mind. "My ex is stalking me. I was trying to get him to leave me alone."

Diane felt concern for her now. "Let's get you back inside."

Blair didn't argue with her about that and went back into the gallery. She hated the fact Santos got away from her again and was not looking forward to telling the others this.

* * *

Santos getting away was just the tip of the iceberg of information that evening. Victor Olsen – the monster from Elena's past showed up at the gallery and he was Bitten, James Williams was discovered to be the patron who sponsored Elena's show, and it seemed Santos, Olsen, and Williams were all connected. Once all this information was shared they agreed that they weren't going to leave Toronto until they found out who Williams was. And neither Clay or Elena blamed Blair for Santos getting away. If Diane saw Blair kill him then that'd be a whole big bad mess that they'd have to clean up – one that couldn't be afforded.

While Blair told them about her encounter with Santos, she left out what he told her about her mother and bloodline. Blair didn't want to believe a word Santos said but it was so close to the Alden history of her Reality that perhaps it was true. Or it could have just been Santos messing with her. One thing was certain, she was going to find out for herself one way or another before bringing it up. It's not like it mattered anyway...right?

* * *

Meanwhile back in Bear Valley, Joey Stillwell was found, and he helped Jeremy and those still at Stonehaven find the Mutts' hideout. It happened to be at an old distillery from the prohibition period. When they arrived, it was concluded that the Mutts had been gone for at least a day but hadn't cleared out.

Jeremy found a case full of 'trophies' of the Wolves the Mutts had killed. Among them was Jeremy's father's ring – something that would have only been taken off his cold, dead hand. Jeremy suspected that was exactly what happened.

Nick found something also, pictures of everyone from the Pack. Logan confessed to Jeremy then that Rachel was pregnant with a son and asked to return to Toronto to protect her. Jeremy gave the permission and off Logan went.

As Nick flipped through the pictures he found there were more of Jeremy and Elena than anyone else, but there were also quite a few of Blair. Nick looked at these oddly because he noticed something – her hair. "These aren't recent. I've never seen Blair with purple streaks in her hair but most of these, she has them."

Jeremy looked at the pictures as well. "Why would they be following her before she was even Bitten?"

"She's not the only one," Joey interjected as he dropped pictures in front of Nick and Jeremy. They were all women of varying ages with big red 'X' marks on them. "Who are all these women?"

Jeremy flipped them over and found names and locations written on them. "They're Aldens. All of these women are Aldens." Whether or not they were from the same bloodline, he couldn't tell, but they all shared the last name.

Nick was having a hard time wrapping his head around that. "As in the way old Pack?" He took a moment to think. "Wait…were the Mutts Biting all these Alden women hoping their bloodline would make them able to receive the Bite?"

"Based off the evidence here, I think that is exactly what they were doing." Jeremy found a picture in the mix that didn't have an X on it yet and the only thing written on the back was 'Mama Alden'. This made Jeremy assume this was Blair's mother. "And they succeeded with Blair."

This was the first Nick had heard of Blair being an Alden. "Wait, what?"

"Blair's birth name is Blair Alden Han. I didn't find that out until recently myself." Jeremy was certainly working on piecing this all together.

Nick was dumbfounded for a second and then something clicked. "She was targeted at the rave. That's why the Mutt didn't try to kill her like the others. He was only ordered to Bite her."

Joey was out of commission during all of this but he did hear something during his time being kidnapped by the Mutts. "So this Blair you're talking about is the She-Wolf Santos was talking about?"

Nick instantly felt protective as he asked, "What did Santos say about her?"

Joey thought back before saying anything. "Something about turning her loyalties because he has something she'd want. That's it."

"Whatever Santos' plan is with her it's clear it doesn't stop there," Jeremy interjected.

Nick agreed with him on that. "You're right. Between Blair, you, and Elena, they certainly have their targets cut out for them." He couldn't stop thinking about something though. "But why? Why would the Mutts go through all the trouble of biting the female Alden descendants? It doesn't make any sense."

"Clearly it did to them." Jeremy was worried about the reason behind this. Was there something special about the Alden Werewolf line he wasn't aware of that would make the Mutts risk killing numerous women in hopes of turning one into a Wolf? Perhaps there was, and maybe that is why Blair is so different and not because she is a 'Traveler'. "There is Alden history back at Stonehaven. Perhaps if we learn some more about them, we will learn the reason behind the Mutt's actions."

Nick was all for that, but he had to ask Jeremy something first. "Do we tell Blair about this?"

Jeremy's answer to his question was firm. "No. At least not until we know something. Blair has kept her fair share of secrets from us – there is no harm in returning the favor."

* * *

End Episode 8


	9. Dammit

After getting Joey on a flight to Vancouver, Nick spent the entire night going through everything they had on the Alden family history. Since it was so long ago there was a lot missing, but what Nick did find was interesting. There were passages in some of the journals about how it was believed the Alden Werewolf bloodline was different from the rest. They were stronger, faster, their senses even more heightened, and other enhanced attributes the other families did not have. This was why they remained in power for so long. What removed them from power was how only women were born generation after generation. Despite the strong bloodline they did not want to risk Biting them and losing the bloodline forever. They intended to wait until a male was finally born to Alden blood again and would have them Bitten to return to power among the Werewolves. However, this never happened. But apparently the Mutts wanted to try and make it so by biting all the Alden women they could find – Blair included.

Nick caught a look at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was a little after six o'clock in the morning now, and was pulled from his reading when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He looked up to find Blair coming down them. "I thought you were in Toronto."

"I was, but I left soon after the gallery. And I didn't exactly fill Clay and Elena in on that." Blair walked around the table to see what Nick was looking at.

Nick closed the book, saying protectively, "You shouldn't have been traveling alone."

"I shouldn't be doing a lot of things and yet I am." Blair changed lanes of conversation so she could find out what she wanted to know. "Are there Alden Wolves?"

Nick cleared his throat a bit. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, that's a yes." Blair scoffed heavily. "So Jeremy does know about them and yet didn't think to mention it?"

"How did you find out?" Nick wanted to know the answer to this question.

"Santos. During my run in with him at the gallery he gave me the gist and told me he knew where my mother was." Blair crossed her arms. "So it is true?"

"It is," Jeremy answered as he joined them in the basement, not surprised to see her standing there since he heard from Clay. "I didn't want to tell you until we learned more. And I'm afraid there isn't time to get into this right now. We need to get back to Toronto and once all this Mutt business is over we are going to have a long discussion about the dangers of traveling alone, among other things."

"Fine, whatever, but I'm not going anywhere until you answer me one thing – do you know where my mother is?" Blair could look into her bloodline stuff later. What she wanted to know above all else was information about her mother – especially whether or not she was alive.

"I don't know where she is, but we may know who she is." Jeremy went over to the table and pulled a picture out from a pile of folders. He handed it out to her. "Is this your mother?"

Blair took the picture and her fingers traced over her features. Her mother died in her Reality a long time ago so seeing a picture of her looking older than the last time she saw her brought on some tears. "This is her. What do the Mutts want with her?"

"It's a long story," Nick answered as he held up the journal. "We can tell you on the way back to Toronto."

"Has Clay called you yet?" Blair asked as they walked upstairs.

"He has. And he is not pleased with you, Blair." Jeremy would have been rather amused if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Do I at least get points for creativity?" Blair asked hopefully but upon seeing Jeremy's reaction, she knew she wouldn't.

"Now I have to know," Nick interjected. "How _did_ you get away from Clay and Elena?"

They were in the foyer by now and their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Jeremy gestured for Nick and Blair to stay back as he went to answer it. He wasn't expecting who was standing on the other side. "Sheriff?"

"Mr Danvers, I'm glad you're here," was her reply.

Jeremy's hope was to get rid of her. "Well, unfortunately we were just about to leave."

The Sheriff shook her head. "Oh, I doubt you're going to want to go anywhere. In about an hour, a half dozen FBI agents and a forensic team from Quantico are going to be all over your property."

Jeremy didn't like the sound of this at all. "FBI? Why?"

"We have a lead in Michael Braxton's murder. It's a – It's a much bigger case than we first thought." The Sheriff sounded a bit overwhelmed by this newfound information. "It's linked no a number of other homicides. I told them they could rely on your full cooperation."

There was no getting out of this now. Jeremy stepped aside and opened the door for her. "Yeah. Of course. Come on in."

Once the Sheriff came inside and went into the other room, Jeremy, Blair, and Nick all looked at each other thinking the same thing – Not good. This is not good. If for nothing else, then it was going to make them really late in leaving for Toronto.

* * *

While Jeremy was down in the Great Room talking with the Sheriff, Blair and Nick were upstairs discussing other things. He showed her the journal and told her everything he learned through the night – including what they found at the Mutts' hideout.

Blair flipped through the pages and sat on the edge of her bed as she listened. "The Aldens were different Wolves? It's not just me?" Perhaps her entire theory about why she was different was wrong but it's not like she had another Alden Werewolf to compare it to.

Nick sat down beside her. "According to what I read…yes."

"And they've been on an Alden killing spree?" Blair couldn't wrap her head around that. "How has that not been in the news?"

"There were reports about a year ago of a string of missing women. They left out the last name detail but the women are the same. The Mutts have been working on this for at least that long." Nick let that sink in before telling her, "They had pictures of you, too."

Blair looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You have purple in your hair." Nick reached out and gently touched it.

"The hair dye stopped about a month before coming to Bear Valley." Blair closed her eyes and just breathed. "So the one that Bit me was supposed to Bite me? I was a test just like all the other Alden women that may or may not actually be related to each other? And for what? To bring the Alden Pack back to power? That makes no sense!" She bound to her feet and started to pace. "This entire thing is insane. This whole theory is insane!"

Nick gave her the moment to vent. "Do you have a better one?"

Blair stopped in her tracks and looked away. "No." She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to think. "Why only go after the women? There have got to be men with the same last name and the men would survive the Bite."

"Maybe they thought the women from the women from the Alden Pack bloodline would survive and that would be a guarantee. Like you said, the men would survive the Bite either way." Nick stood up and placed supportive hands on her shoulders. "Whatever their reason, we're not going to let them get you."

Blair walked away from him and stood looking out the window. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Nick. There's no way to guarantee anything, especially in this world."

"This is something I can guarantee." Nick turned her to face him. "To get to you, they'll have to go through me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You are not going to disappear on me."

Their eyes locked on each other and Nick could see that she felt the same way he felt about her, even if she was afraid to admit it. As they looked at each other like that, it was as if they were being pulled together by magnets, but just before their lips were to meet they were interrupted.

Jeremy cleared his throat to get their attention. "You two should come downstairs. The FBI will be here shortly. Once they're gone, we need to be ready to get back to Toronto."

Blair looked away from Nick and walked out of the room before either of the men moved a muscle.

"I apologize for the interruption, but there will be time enough for that later." That was all Jeremy had to say about that so he returned downstairs.

Nick knew it wasn't the best time to try and be with Blair like that but he was starting to worry that he wouldn't get another chance like it again.

* * *

The FBI was currently coming over the west side of the property. Jeremy sat at his desk in the great room while Nick stood at the window to keep an eye out and Blair read the journal. Out of nowhere, Nick asked Blair, "How did you get away from Clay and Elena?"

Blair closed the journal, using her finger to keep the page. "When Clay went out on the balcony I locked the door behind him. Elena was distracted with her argument with Phillip, so I used the opportunity to leave. My duffel is still back in Toronto. I didn't exactly plan on leaving like that." She looked at Jeremy to ask, "What is going to happen to Phillip?"

"As long as he doesn't know the truth about us then we don't have to deal with him," Jeremy replied.

"Between Logan and Elena, this Pack has gotten too close to humans." Nick scoffed at this fact and moved to sit.

"In case you missed the memo, humans are kinda needed in order for Werewolves to continue their bloodline," Blair shot back. "Or have there been more She-Wolves in that past? Nope, there haven't, so you think female humans should just be used as incubators with no emotional attachment?" She scoffed heavily and left the room, saying, "Unbelievable," as she went.

Nick was about to go talk to her but stayed where he sat when Jeremy gestured for him to.

Jeremy followed Blair into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Nick's words struck a nerve with you."

"Humans aren't worthless." Blair took a drink from the bottle of water she grabbed from the fridge and return the cap with more force than needed. "You may not care, but in my Reality humans were vital. They fought along side us against our foes. They kept our secrets. They were hunters, protectors. A network of people helping us stay hidden so we could protect our world from the horrors that lived among them. So, I'm sorry that it bothers me to hear that Humans will be killed if they ever find out about us and the whole baby situation."

Blair set the bottle on the table and paced. "Where you all see Humans as a liability, I see them as a resource – a way to make the Pack stronger." She stopped pacing and started taking deep breaths to try and calm herself.

"Are you done?" Jeremy asked casually. When she nodded, he stood up. "I understand your views are skewed from life in your Reality, but things are different here. These Rules are the only way our kind has survived for so long. I need you to accept this, Blair. You have to follow the Pack Laws." There was nothing else for him to say so he went back to speak with Nick in the Great Room, leaving Blair alone with her thoughts.

* * *

In Toronto a woman stood in front of a mirror in her apartment. She tied back her long, dark hair and pulled on her leather jacket before sliding her feet into her knee-high boots and zipping them up. With that done, she went into the living room of her suite and unrolled her knife case upon the coffee table. The ones that were selected were slid into the sheathes built into her boots and inside her leather jacket. The final one was slid up her sleeve into the sheath strapped to her arm.

Now that this was all set, she went out into the hallway and checked the time. Time was close but there should be just enough. Instead of using the elevator, she went up the one flight of stairs to the floor above. She checked her watch again and knocked on the door of the desired apartment.

A tall man with medium-length hair and a scruffy beard opened the door. "I'm looking for Blair."

"No one here by that name," Clay replied and tried to close the door, only to have this woman shoot out her hand to stop him from closing it.

"She was here. If she's not now, then where is she." She was not going to leave without Blair, especially since the clock was ticking down.

Clay narrowed his eyes as he looked at this woman because there was something oddly familiar about her. "Who are you?"

She looked at her watch with a, "Dammit!" and pushed herself inside, closing the door behind her. "You couldn't have just answered a simple question and now they're here."

Clay didn't get a chance to ask what she was talking about because the door was kicked open and Santos walked in with Victor Olsen. Instead of questioning, now he was standing ready to fight.

"Well, well, well," Santos said as he entered the apartment. "Have you switched teams on us, Harper?"

"I was never on your side, Santos," Harper answered, her hands itching for a fight. "I was always on my own."

"Pity, but I'm not looking to do anything rash." Santos looked around. "We're here to speak with Blair and Elena. Where are they? We'll talk and then we'll leave."

"I've had enough of your games, Santos," Harper shot back. "You stay the hell away from my daughter or I will skin you alive."

Santos laughed at this as he moved to the other side of the room. "I would love to see you try. But don't you have appearances to keep up? I mean, you did just threaten me in front of Clayton and Elena's boytoy."

"I'm dead at the end of this either way," Harper reasoned. "Why not get some enjoyment out of it while I can?"

Phillip looked at them all. "Who the hell are these people?"

"I'll introduce Harper." Santos extended his hand towards her. "This is Blair's mother – Harper Alden. You could say she is a…bounty hunter of sorts. As for the rest of us, why don't you tell him, Clayton?"

There was a lot of information swirling around Clay's head with just as many questions. How the hell was Blair's mother here and how did she know Santos? Harper was most definitely a Human, but nothing was making any sense. There wasn't time to figure this out now because he had to make sure he and Phillip made it out of this alive. As far as Harper was concerned…Clay deemed she was on her own.

"He doesn't need to be a part of this," Clay said to Santos, hoping to continue keeping the secret from Phillip.

"Oh, but it would be so easy to make him a part of this." Santos clicked his teeth in a biting way. "I'm surprised Elena hasn't done that already. Oh, that's right – Who would do that to somebody that they love?"

"Let him leave, Santos," Harper said firmly, referring to Elena's boyfriend. "You've got me and Clayton. You don't need him."

"Sorry, Harper. If you actually stuck around, then you'd know what the plan was and would already know the answer to that." Santos shrugged his shoulders in an 'oh well' fashion. "Your loss." And thus the battle began…

While Santos started fighting Clay, Harper dealt with Victor Olsen. After she punched him across the face with more force than he expected, he reached for a knife on the kitchen counter only to have Harper drive one of her knives right through it. He yelled in pain before using his free hand to knock her across her face.

Harper staggered back because of this and Victor Olson used that to go after Phillip. He slashed Phillip a time or two before Harper tackled him to the ground and started pummeling into him. Olsen threw her off him but she managed to flip right over and land on her feet. "What the hell are you?!" he demanded to know.

"I'm an Alden," she laughed before charging at Olsen, matching him blow for blow while Phillip crawled off to the bedroom. Harper pulled the blade from her arm sheath and slashed Olsen across the face with it. Just when she was about to go in for the kill, she felt a sharp pain in her leg and saw that Olsen had just injected her with something. "Dammit…" she said weakly before everything went fuzzy and then black.

This was _not_ had Harper Alden planned on her day going and it wasn't over yet…

* * *

End Episode 9


	10. Goodnight

Blair had been worried ever since they got the call from Elena saying the Mutts had attacked. When they arrived in Toronto and checked Logan's place, the Mutts had been there and Logan and Rachel were missing. This led them to Elena's apartment, but they didn't even make it inside since they saw Elena getting into her car.

Blair bolted from Jeremy's vehicle and tapped on Elena's window to get her attention. Once Elena was out of the car, she hugged her. "I'm so sorry. I should have stayed. I'm so sorry."

"This isn't your fault," Elena assured you. "Do not blame yourself for this." They each pulled from their embrace, so she could talk to Jeremy and Nick who joined them. "The Mutts attacked. They took Clay and a woman – she was fighting the Mutts."

"We cannot separate again," Jeremy firmly replied. "The Mutts could be anywhere. We need to get back to Stonehaven and proceed from there."

Elena clearly didn't like this. "You may be willing to risk Clay's life like this, but I'm not."

Blair was the one who stopped Elena from getting back into her car. "They want you, Elena. The Mutts want you and if they get you then they don't need Clay anymore." She let that sink in before asking, "But why would they take some random woman?"

"She wasn't random," Elena answered before taking a preparatory breath. "She's your mother."

Blair felt like she got punched in the gut as soon as she heard that. "The Mutts have my mother?"

Elena could see the tables had turned and now Blair was the one who wanted to go after the Mutts. "They want you, too, Blair. If they get you then they won't need her anymore."

Blair didn't appreciate her words being used against her like that. "Not cool."

Jeremy interjected there because time was not on their side. "Nick will ride back with you both to Stonehaven. As soon as we get back we will come up with a plan." With that decision firmly made, they got into their respective vehicles and started on their trek back home.

* * *

Harper awoke inside of what looked like an abandoned barn. Her arms were tied above her head and next to her was Clay who was bound in the same manner. She moved enough to look at him in order to start a conversation with him since Santos and his lackies weren't around. "So, any idea how my daughter survived the Bite?"

Clay didn't want to speak to this woman who was apparently Blair's mother – especially because she was a Human, but he did answer her question. "Blair is special."

"You have _no idea_ how special she is." Harper said that to be snarky but there was just something on his face that made it clear he really didn't know. "Wow…you don't know anything about the Aldens – the _True_ Aldens, do you?" Harper grunted a bit as she adjusted her arms above her to no avail. "I'm gonna end up dead at the end of all this anyway so I'm going to tell you a little story. The Aldens used to be the largest and most powerful Pack way back when. They were stronger, faster, more agile, even more heightened senses and all that jazz. Unfortunately for the Pack only women were born to the bloodline for generations and thus the Wolves 'died out'." She added in just because, "I'd be making air quotes around 'died out' if I could."

Harper shook her head a bit because she was still slightly feeling the effects of whatever she was dosed with, but got back to what she wanted to tell him – what she had to tell him. "Even though the True Alden women were humans, they were more enhanced – faster, stronger, more agile, etc. It was like the female Aldens had diluted Alden Wolf attributes. It was because of this that a story was passed down through the generations that an Alden female would survive the Bite and bring the Aldens back to power."

She waited to see if Clay had anything to say about that but since he apparently didn't, she got back to it. "The last thing the Alpha – whoever they were – wanted was for the Aldens to rise back to power. Malcom, especially. He sent out an assassin to wipe out all the True Aldens. I believe you'd know him as Jimmy Koenig, but I knew him as Jae Han. I convinced him to let me live so I could give him a son. His thirst for power – or even a powerful heir took precedence over his loyalty so he agreed and let me live. Alas, a son wasn't born…Blair was. When Jae left for another assignment, I gave Blair up and disappeared. I thought she'd be safer that way."

Clay turned to look at her ever so slightly because he was really starting to listen to what she had to say now.

Harper closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again. "I knew something was wrong when the second wave of Alden women went missing. I didn't understand why because Blair and I were the only living True Aldens left thanks to Malcom's purge. I wasn't going to intervene but when I heard Blair had been Bitten and survived, I wanted to go to the Pack but knew I'd be killed for even knowing of the existence of Werewolves."

Clay interjected there to ask, "How did you end up with Santos?"

"I reached out to a Mutt I knew to find out what I could about the new Alden purge and that led me to Santos. He told me he wanted to bring the Aldens back to power and Bit all he could find, but Blair was the only one who survived." Harper felt so stupid in that moment. "Santos started making all kinds of promises and I realized too late he never intended to deliver upon them, so I took matters into the my own hands." Harper looked around them. "The rest is current history."

Clay still wasn't sure if he believed a damn word that came out of her mouth. "Why should I believe any of this? You could just be a plant the Mutts are using for something."

"I could be, but I'm not." Harper didn't expect him to trust her so she wasn't surprised that he didn't. "I'm going to ask you for a favor, though. Don't let anything happen to Blair. Not only is she a female Wolf, but an Alden one. If the wrong person gets their hands on her…I don't even want to think about it." Again, Harper felt stupid. "I think that's what Santos wants with my daughter. He may not have lied when he said he wanted the Aldens to be back in power in the Pack, but I think he intends to make damn sure it's his bloodline in the mix, too."

Their conversation was cut off there when Santos and one of his lackeys came into the building carrying a battery and jumper cables in their hands. Harper saw this and said to herself, "I'm all for being kinky, but even I think that's a step too far."

* * *

Blair paced back and forth in the Great Room at Stonehaven while biting her nails in worry. Not only was Clay captured by the Mutts but apparently so was her mother. She kept wondering how the hell she got mixed up with the Mutts. Santos did say he knew where she was…Did that mean her mother was siding with the Mutts or against them?

"Jeremy isn't going to be happy if you wear a hole in his carpet." Nick was trying to make a joke in an attempt to calm her down.

"Yeah, well, I'm not too happy with Jeremy at the moment so we're even." Blair stopped pacing and sighed. "I didn't mean that. I'm just…"

When Blair trailed off, Nick could guess what she was trying to say, "Freaking out?"

Blair nodded a bit. "Yeah. I'm freaking out and I have so many questions and…" She sat on the arm of the sofa and exhaled deeply. "I don't know what to think anymore, Nick. Every time I think things start to make sense, my whole world goes bugaboo. I don't know what to believe."

Nick went over to Blair and gently lifted her face so she'd look at him. "Believe that this Pack is always going to be there for you. Believe that _I_ will always be there for you. If you can't believe anything else, believe _that._ "

Every time Nick and Blair seemed to have a moment, they got interrupted and this time was no different. Elena came into the room with her ringing phone. "It's Santos." Elena wanted them to hear the conversation, so when she answered the call she put it on speakerphone. "Hello."

"Nice to hear your voice, Elena," Santos answered from the other end of the line. "Now if another lovely lady could speak as well, that would really make my day." When he didn't hear Blair's voice he said impatiently, "I'm _waiting_."

Blair clenched her fists as she said, "Hello," through gritted teeth.

"Ah, music to my ears." His tone of voice made it clear he was smirking.

Blair cut to the chase with her impending threat. "If you hurt Clay or Harper I will **skin you** _ **alive**_." Her eyes glowed as she made that threat because she intended on doing it.

"Ooo, kinky," Santos answered, unphased. "I have a proposition to make. And trust me when I say to both you, Blair, and Elena that it is in both your best interests."

Blair wanted to shoot something out at him but stopped before she even began because Nick took her hand and squeezed it.

Since they were quiet, Santos proceeded with his proposition. "Elena, I want you and Blair to meet me at the Bear Valley Diner tomorrow at noon. And forget about bringing the rest of the Pack, I'll smell them before they enter the door."

"Don't you do a damn thing he says!" Harper shouted out. "Aldens bow to no one!"

Blair gasped when she heard an impact and a groan. "Harper? Mom?!" She pulled the phone from Elena's hand. "I will _end you_."

"I have the upper hand here," Santos countered. "And in case you don't believe that." A buzzing sound emitted from the phone, followed by Clay's screams.

Elena took the phone back, emotionally pleading, "Just stop it! We'll meet you at noon."

Santos was pleased to have made his point. "I look forward to seeing both you and Blair on your best behaviors. If you're not, I will be the one doing some skinning alive."

Blair had to breathe deeply in order to control herself because she was getting close to losing it. "When all this ends, Santos is **mine** _ **.**_ "

* * *

When Jeremy joined them in the Great Room, Elena filled him in on the conversation with Santos. At the end of it, he stated, "It's a trap. I'm not going to let you two meet him without the rest of the Pack."

"We're not asking for your permission," Elena answered firmly. "Blair and I can take care of ourselves and each other."

"Damn right," Blair added in, taking a place at Elena's side. "Santos specifically asked to speak with us, so, we're going."

Nick had to jump in there. "No. Jeremy's right, it's too dangerous. Even for the two of you."

"If we don't go then Santos is going to start shipping body parts in pretty wrapping paper," Blair shot back. "He has two people that mean a lot to me in his possession. If going to that meeting and…," she said the following with distaste, "and playing nice, in order to get them back then that's what I'm going to do."

Jeremy stared Blair down, saying with authority, "I said **no**."

Blair wanted to challenge that, but a scent caught her attention. "Blood."

A moment later they heard a car pulling up to Stonehaven, so Nick went to look out the window to see who it was. "It's Logan. Rachel's with him."

While the others went out to help Logan into the house, Blair went straight to the kitchen to get the table ready. She could already tell Logan was injured and would need attention.

As they all joined Blair in the kitchen, Rachel explained how two guys came into the house and stabbed him. Logan added in that it was Marsten and Leblanc and they had to come to Stonehaven.

"We got you," Blair said to him reassuringly and handed Jeremy the needle he'd need in order to get the fluid out of Logan's lung.

Rachel didn't want to leave Logan's side but Elena and Nick finally convinced her to go into the other room while Logan was being treated.

Jeremy had the fluid draining under control, so Blair grabbed a tourniquet and wrapped it around her arm, using her teeth to tie it tight. Elena saw her do this and asked, "What are you doing?"

Blair took out a syringe and put it in her vein as she answered, "Not sure if my blood will help him or not, but it's worth a try." Once she filled the syringe, she injected it into Logan. "Hopefully it's good for something." Blair gave Logan's hand a squeeze. "We've got you, Logan."

Logan could breathe better now and he squeezed Blair's hand. "You're a good Packmate. You know that?"

Blair chuckled lightly at that because she didn't believe it. "We'll see."

Logan's words, telling her that she was a good Packmate kept going through Blair's mind the whole night as she tried to sleep. She didn't feel like she'd earned her place in the Pack yet, but that wasn't going to stop her from doing it.

* * *

The following morning, Blair quietly made her way downstairs to sneak out and meet with Santos and found Elena doing the same. Difference was, Elena got caught by Jeremy and Nick. This made Blair got back upstairs and straight into her room. She locked the door behind her and opened the window. Since it opened right out to the roof, she climbed out and took a deep breath before doing a flip-jump off it.

Blair nailed the landing and when she stood up, she looked around to make sure no one had spotted her. Since she didn't see anyone around outside or near the windows, she took off running as fast as she could. Little did she know, Rachel saw her running from the upstairs window.

* * *

When Harper awoke, she was now bound to a chair with one hell of a splitting headache. Clay was tied to a chair as well, but he was currently unconscious. "From what I've seen of Wolves so far, they're unimpressive," she muttered to herself and rolled her neck a bit.

"I could Bite you and show what being a Wolf is really about," Santos stated as he entered the room. "Trust me, you're missing a lot."

"If I was missing so much then how come I have killed more Wolves than I have fingers and toes? I'm good." Harper smugly smirked at him. "Besides, if you wanted me Bit then you would have already done it."

"I admit that I had use for you as the Human that you are, but now I am curious if you will survive the Bite." Santos snapped his teeth at her. "Time enough to experiment later. Right now I need to have a chat with Clayton here before I get ready for my lunch date."

"Am I right?" Harper wanted to know before Santos woke up Clay. "You just want Blair to breed with, don't you?"

"I want a queen to rule at my side when I take over the Pack," Santos corrected. "Whether it be Blair or Elena, it doesn't matter to me. Though I must admit that the prospect of being the one responsible for returning the Alden lineage back to the Werewolf status is quite a delectable prospect."

Harper laughed at how ridiculous he sounded. " _You_ being responsible? _Blair_ would be the one responsible and she will _never_ be with a pathetic excuse for a man like you. I may not have raised her but she is my blood and no one of my blood will ever reduce themselves for the likes of you."

Santos had enough of her mouth and grabbed onto her throat, squeezing tightly to capture her attention. "You are on thin ice, Harper. I suggest you shut your pretty little mouth before I rip out your tongue." He released his grip and adjusted his suit as Harper coughed. "Now, it's time for a little nap."

Harper tried to get out of the binds, but it was no use and the next thing she knew, Santos had sedated her once again.

* * *

Blair was sitting at the Diner and didn't take her eyes off the clock. It wasn't quite noon yet so there was still time for Santos to show up. When her phone rang, she saw it was Elena and answered it. "Elena?"

"If you're at the Diner, get out now. Jeremy and Nick are on their way. Jeremy is going to sacrifice himself in exchange for Clay and your mother, but Santos is just going to…" Elena didn't get a chance to finish her sentence.

"Santos is going to kill them both." Blair tossed some money on the table for her drink a tip then darted outside. "What's the plan?"

"I called Santos to change the meet site, I'm texting you the directions now."

Blair looked at the message and headed towards the address as she asked Elena, "Aren't you coming?"

"Jeremy locked me in the cage and Logan can't find the keys." Elena breathed a bit heavily. "Blair…"

"I'm going to get Clay back home safe, Elena. I promise. No more Pack members are going to die if I can help it." Blair turned the corner and out of sight just before Jeremy and Nick pulled up in front of the diner.

"They know you're gone," Elena added in. "Rachel saw you leave and mentioned it to Nick."

"Let me guess, I'm in the doghouse?" Blair laughed at her own joke. "Don't worry, Elena. I've got this." She ended the call and headed towards the walk bridge where she was to meet Santos and arrived just minutes before Santos did.

"You're alone," Santos greeted as he approached her. "Elena mentioned this might happen. Are you still going to play nice?"

Blair was not up for Santos' games. "Cut the crap, Santos, and tell me what's it going to take for you to release Clay and Harper _alive_."

Santos smirked a bit since he could how much it was eating her up not to do something to him. It gave him a feeling of control and he liked it. "Your next decisions will determine that."

Blair clenched her fists, digging her nails into the palms of her hands. "Didn't I already tell you to cut the crap? What do you want?"

Santos adjusted his suit as he spoke. "The tide has turned against the Pack. We can attack at will, as we've demonstrated, and pretty soon there won't be anybody left at Stonehaven to turn out the lights."

Blair crossed her arms and took a deep breath in an attempt to cool her boiling blood. "Go on."

"You agree to join me and I will release your mother _and_ Clay," Santos replied. "And I'll also let Jeremy and all the others live, as long as they agree to stay on the move like Mutts. No permanent homes."

Blair scoffed incredulously. "You're serious?"

Yes, he was. "Deadly. Oh, and here's the kicker – If you should ever, ever, decide to renege on the agreement, Clay, Jeremy, and all the others will be hunted down and slaughtered." Honestly, Santos would have preferred to make this deal with Elena to add salt into Clay's wounds, but Blair was an Alden Wolf and Alden Wolves were more enhanced. He was willing to pass up the salt in order to father a more powerful generation of Werewolf.

Santos could see the gears turning in Blair's head, so he added more to his words. "It's a win-win for you. The people you love get to live. And you end up giving birth to a new dynasty. Their well-being is in your hands now."

The proposition honestly made Blair sick, but she already knew this a plan a Mutt might want to put into action. However, if it meant saving everyone she loved then she'd be willing to do it. "What about the other people in their lives? In Elena's life…"

"You mean Elena's boyfriend Phillip?" Santos bobbed his head a little. "Well, Victor Olsen has gone to pay him a visit to finish what he started."

Blair stepped forward, demanding, "Call him off."

Santos looked at her with mock regret. "Olsen doesn't believe in cell phones."

Blair's eyes turned yellow as she stepped even closer with a threatening growl.

Santos stepped back, exclaiming, "Hey! I am the only thing standing between the Pack and death." He watched as her eyes returned to normal. "So, what'll it be?" Santos didn't appreciate how she just stood there in silence. "My offer is only good until the end of the day."

"Then I have until the end of the day to give you an answer." Blair growled deeply as she walked past him and left the walking bridge, all the while trying to decide what the hell she was going to do. The first thing Blair had to take care of was Victor Olsen. She pulled out her phone as she walked and dialed Elena's number. "You out of the cage yet?"

"Yes. Logan finally found the keys and I'm driving into town now," Elena answered. "Where are you?"

"Near the hardware store. Elena, we need to get to Toronto like now." There was definitely an urgency to her voice.

Elena didn't like the sound of that. "What happened?"

"Olsen is going after Phillip to, and I quote Santos, 'to finish what he started." She ended the call when Elena pulled up in front of her with the window down.

"Get in." Once Blair was in the car, Elena turned to her, saying, "Guess we're both in the doghouse now."

* * *

Blair told Elena everything about her conversation with Santos and didn't leave anything out. Elena told Blair that she was not going to be a breeding toy for Santos' use and they would save Clay and Harper another way. This plan accompanied their current one to get to Toronto as soon as possible – Two birds one stone, stop Olsen from going after Phillip and make him tell them where Harper and Clay were being held.

Blair had no idea how she and Elena got to Phillip's apartment before Olsen showed up, but they did. Blair looked around the apartment and saw how broken everything was and the blood everywhere. She heard about the fight from Elena but in her head she didn't imagine it being this bad. Blair closed her eyes and inhaled deeply because she wanted to take in the faint scent of Harper's. A part of her couldn't believe that it was the same as the Harper from her Reality.

Before Olsen showed up, Blair had to tell Elena something that she hadn't said before. "If this does work, if Olsen doesn't tell us where they are, I'm going to agree to Santos' terms. I am more than willing to sacrifice myself for the Pack."

Elena looked at Blair like she was insane. "That is **not** an option." Yeah, Blair told her what Santos said but she _never_ said that she was considering it. "I mean it, Blair. No matter how this goes, we will find another way."

"I'm not losing anyone else," Blair shot back. "My mother already died on me once. I am _**not**_ going to let it happen again. Not when this time I can do something about it." She could see Elena was about to say something but she quickly brought a finger to her mouth to shush her. They both got out of view and waited for Olsen to enter.

Olsen walked into the apartment and looked around proudly as he took in the scene. What he wasn't expecting was Elena to appear behind him and wrap her arm around his throat, squeezing tight enough and holding in place until he was rendered unconscious.

When Elena released Olsen and let his body drop to the floor, Blair wanted to rip his throat out but didn't. Instead she looked to Elena, saying, "This is your rodeo. What's next?"

* * *

What was next was Elena bound Olsen's hands and ankles together before dumping him into the bathtub. Now that he was starting to wake up, Elena started with her demands. "Tell us where they're holding Clay and Harper."

Olsen wasn't too quick to answer that question. "All this rage I had…Then I see your face. Your beautiful, beautiful face."

This wasn't moving along as quickly as Blair wanted. She stormed over to the tub, shouting, "Tell us where they are!" Her eyes glowed yellow, expressing now only her own rage but the rage of her Wolf.

Olsen wasn't deterred by this. "Or what?"

Elena was the one who answered. "You will live to regret it."

Olsen all but pouted at her. "I thought we were friends."

"We were never friends," Elena firmly and emotionally replied.

Olsen spoke softly to her. "Oh, Elena, do you realize how long we've known each other? Since you were what? Six…seven? I've been in your life longer than anyone else and I'm still in your life."

Blair looked between them, clearly missing something but she wasn't going to ask. This wasn't the time or the place to.

Elena was losing her patience. "Tell me where they are."

"If I do, then what will you give me in return?" Olsen looked her over, clearly expecting one thing.

Elena ignored his gaze as hard as she could and answered him, "Your life."

Olsen didn't believe her. "You're not a killer."

Blair interjected there, saying, "But I am." She turned her finger into a claw and sliced Olsen's wrist. "Now tell us where they are right now or I will keep slicing and dicing until you are drowning in your own blood." She let that sink in and demanded to know once more. " _ **Where are they**_?"

Olsen stayed quiet, which resulted in Blair slicing his other wrist. He laughed thought the pain. "Your mother warned me about you. She said the Alden temper was a fiery one."

Elena thought Blair was going to slice his throat next, so she intervened. "Tell us where they are and I'll tie off your wounds."

Olsen's breathing starting to get a little heavier. "I tell you what I if you promise to let me go."

Elena nodded, promising him, "Fine." She wasn't able to ask him anything else because someone came into the apartment. "Keep him quiet. And alive," Elena said quietly to Blair before going out to see who was there.

Blair shoved a washcloth in Olsen's mouth before tying off his wrist wounds. She could hear Elena talking to Phillip in the other room but tuned it out and spoke quietly to Olsen. "I don't care what kind of hold you think you have over Elena, it doesn't matter. _I'm_ the one you're dealing with and I won't think twice before killing you. No one goes after my Pack and lives – not anymore. If you have any value left for your pathetic life then you will tell us what we want to know. You're not in control here, Olsen. Deal with it."

Elena came in at that moment and pulled the cloth from Olsen's mouth. "Where are they?"

Olsen looked at Blair and saw the killer in her eyes before he addressed Elena. "They have them in a barn. A place called Fox Valley Farms."

Elena untied Olsen's wounds, demanding to know, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes," Olsen said weakly. "It's the truth. Not untie me. You promised you were going to untie me."

Elena found a rabbit's foot in Olsen's shirt and the floor and shoved it in his mouth before seething, "I lied."

Blair had no idea what that was about, but either way she thought it was a badass move on Elena's part. As they walked out of the bathroom together, Blair gave Olsen a finger-wiggle wave with a smug look on her face because for one reason or another, Olsen was getting what he deserved.

* * *

Blair and Elena came up with a plan on the way to Fox Valley Farms. Before even approaching the barn, Elena hung Olsen's bloodied shirt on a branch to lead whomever away. Elena took the tranquilizer rod from Stonehaven and had that in her possession to deal with whoever was left outside the barn.

Blair went around to the back of the barn and through the boards she saw Marsten pouring himself a drink. Hanging from the rafters was Clay and bound to a chair was Harper. She knew she was supposed to wait for Elena, but she couldn't. Blair gripped the knife she picked at the store before coming here and took a deep breath. She kicked open the back door and instantly threw the knife, getting Marsten right in the arm. Before he had a chance to react to that, Blair had leaped across the room in a single bound and grabbed him by the throat. The next thing she threw was Marsten, right through the other wooden door. He hit the ground unconscious right at Elena's feet.

Elena looked at Blair through the open door. "I don't remember that being a part of the plan."

"I called an audible," Blair replied as she went over to the injured Clay. "You look great."

"Shut up," Clay chuckled weakly then saw Elena now standing in front of him. "It's good to see you, Darlin."

Blair untied Harper as Elena tended to Clay. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Mom."

"I never thought I'd ever hear you call me that." Harper got to her feet with Blair's help and had to catch her breath, just by the sight of her. "You are more than I could have ever imagined."

"You've got no idea," Blair replied and helped her out to Elena's SUV. Once Harper was inside, Blair ran over to Santos' car and shoved her cellphone in the passenger seat before darting back to the car and getting inside.

Just in time too because as Elena sped off, Leblanc – who had fallen for tracking Olsen's shirt scent – was coming out of the trees. His blood boiled at the sight of this and intended on making them pay for it.

* * *

When they returned to Stonehaven, Blair brought Harper towards the house and when Jeremy came out she instantly said, "I'm taking my mother to the infirmary. You have a problem with that, you'll have to deal with me."

Jeremy didn't say anything in regards to that and allowed Blair to bring Harper up because he had some questions for her as well.

"You don't have to fuss over me," Harper told Blair as they went up to the infirmary. "I'll be fine eventually."

"In case you haven't got the memo, I'm not going to let you die." Blair helped Harper into the bed and started checking out her cuts and bruises. There were so many things she wanted to ask but in that moment she just wanted to take in the fact that she was actually alive.

Harper could tell by Blair's expression that there was something on her mind. It looked exactly like her own when she wanted to say something. "If you keep internalizing like that, you're gonna go crazy." She winced when Blair started sanitizing one of the deeper wounds.

"Why did you give me up?" That was the first thing Blair wanted to know.

"To protect you," Harper answered honestly. "I thought it was for the best. I thought by keeping you away from your lineage you would be better off, but clearly I was wrong. Santos found out about you anyway." She looked at Blair with a heavy exhale. "I need to tell you about your father…"

"I already know who he is," Blair countered and numbed up Harper before stitching the wound. "And I know he's dead. I'm the one that killed him." She looked at Harper for her reaction but couldn't read it and that unnerved her a little bit. "This is how this exchange is going to work, _Mom_. I'm going to ask you questions as well as tell you tidbits here and there. And you're going to answer everything I want to know. At the end of it, then you can question me in return but I don't have to be so open."

Harper didn't think that was very fair, and said so. "That's not really an equal exchange there, Blair."

Blair stopped mid-stitch and just stared at her. "I think we can both agree that I deserve more answers than I have to give."

Harper popped her lips lightly and nodded her head in an 'okay then' manner. "Let's get started."

Blair didn't care that Elena and Nick had just brought Clay into the infirmary for his own wounds, she started right into her questions…

* * *

When Blair didn't have anything else to ask, she went down into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea and thought about everything she was told. Harper told her how the True Aldens always knew of the existence of Wolves and everything else Alden related. She even told Blair how her Wolf might be different from the other Werewolves because that is how the Alden Wolves were many a moon ago. With that and all else, Blair had a lot on her mind.

It wasn't long until Jeremy came into the kitchen as well. She poured him a cup and set it on the table for him, asking, "So, how much trouble am I in?"

Jeremy didn't answer her and sipped at his tea. "I think under the circumstances any form of punishment can be forgone." He took another sip before adding in, "I had an interesting conversation with your mother. I haven't quite decided what is to be done with her yet."

"She knows about Werewolves and according to Pack law, she has to die. I won't stand for that, Jeremy. I'm sorry, but I can't. If she will let me, I want to Bite her. I survived it and so will she." Blair truly believed that.

"Your father was a Werewolf, Blair," Jeremy gently countered. "That very well could have something to do with why you survived. Harper doesn't have that paternal Werewolf blood – she may not survive the Bite." He could see how troubling this was for her. "We don't need to make a decision about this tonight. We've all been through a lot. You should get some sleep. We can discuss things further in the morning."

Blair wasn't going to sway from her decision but knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with Jeremy so she left the kitchen and went up to her room. It surprised her a little to find Nick standing at the window, waiting for her. "How much trouble am I in?"

Nick shook his head with a scoff. "That's not funny. What the hell were you thinking?"

Blair sat down on the edge of her bed. "Well, I was thinking that I wanted to save my mother and Clay and guess what? That's exactly what Elena and I did."

"And if it didn't work? You were just going to give yourself over to Santos?!" Nick rubbed his face to try and calm himself down. "In what version of reality is that a good idea?"

Blair figured Elena must have told him about the Santos meeting. "I never said or thought it was a good idea, but if it was something that I had to do to save the people I care about then it's a sacrifice I would have made."

Nick couldn't accept that and crouched down in front of Blair so he could speak on closer level to her. "No. Don't you ever sacrifice yourself like that. I don't care what the stakes are." He reached out and cupped the side of her face. "The thought of Santos putting his hands on you makes me want to kill him even more than I already do."

Blair moved Nick's hand and stood up to look out the window. "I should have killed them when I had the chance. I was so worried about getting Harper and Clay out of there that I didn't take the time to kill them. I should have. Marsten and Santos were _right there_. I should have ripped out their hearts. It wouldn't be the first time."

Nick went over to Blair and placed his hands on her shoulders in a comforting and supportive manner. "You're not a cold-blooded killer."

Blair scoffed as she turned around to face him. "Aren't I?"

"No," Nick countered, "you're not. You could have killed them instead of making sure Clay and your mother were alright, but you put them first. You put your family – your Pack first. A cold-blooded killer wouldn't do that." Nick locked eyes with hers, speaking softly, "I see you, Blair."

Blair pulled away from his gaze and stepped backwards. "No, you don't. If you could then you wouldn't be able to look at me."

Nick had been trying so hard to break through Blair's walls and every time he thinks he's made progress Blair seems to add even more height and layers to them. "Blair…"

"I'm tired. It's been a long day. Goodnight, Nick." Blair swallowed a lump in her throat, truly believing that she was protecting Nick from getting hurt in the long run. She had no idea how much time left she had in this Reality and didn't want to put Nick through even worse feelings than what he was likely feeling now.

Nick wasn't sure what else to say to her and he really wished he understood what was going on with her. He still wasn't going to give him, though. "Goodnight, Blair."

Blair was about to close the door behind him, but another idea came to mind. She went over to the Infirmary and saw Elena sleeping in the same bed as Clay. Seemed like that had the same idea because Blair laid down beside her mother and hugged her.

Harper wasn't quite asleep yet, so she lifted Blair's hand and kissed it, whispering, "Goodnight, Blair."

Blair sniffled back the tears that were begging to be shed and whispered back, "Goodnight, Mom." Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep and, in her sleep, gave her tears free reign to flow.

* * *

End Episode 10


	11. It's time - Season 1 Finale

Harper looked out the window in the Great Room early that morning and watched as Blair and Nick sparred outside. When Jeremy joined her, she asked, "They're in love with each other, aren't they?" She turned to face him to explain why she had said that. "When you're in love with someone, you can see it in their eyes." Harper returned to the window. "That and they're both pulling their punches."

Jeremy went over to Harper in order to make something clear. "I am not sure what Blair has promised you, but…"

Harper knew what he was going to say so she just cut right to the chase. "I don't want the Bite, Jeremy. I have made it my life's work to hunt down Wolves, I do not wish to become one – despite what my heritage has to say about it." She moved away from the window to take a seat on the sofa. "I know I'm going to be dead one way or another when this is all done and I have made my peace with that. All that I ask is to allow me to help you fight the battle I know is coming."

Jeremy sat on the front side of his desk and crossed his arms. "You are as much of a mystery as your daughter."

"It's an Alden trait." Harper was pretty proud about that. "There are journals that have been passed down in my family for generations. When I die, I want Blair to have them. They might give her some insight on what she is to expect from her Wolf. I want your word that you will make sure she gets them."

There was a lot that Jeremy wanted to ask and discuss with her but he knew he'd have to give her something first, so he gave her his word. "I will make sure she gets them."

Harper gestured to a purple wolf head keychain on his desk with one key only attached to it. "That goes to a locker at the bus station – Locker W-21. All the journals are in there."

Jeremy picked up the keychain and placed it in his pocket. "What makes you so certain that you will not survive this ordeal?"

"Well, either I die in the fight, or I die from a failed Bite, or the Pack will kill me for knowing about the existence of Werewolves. I'm no spring chicken anymore, so I'm betting I won't survive the fight." Harper bit her thumbnail before sighing. "As far as I know, Blair and I are the last True Aldens left. Your father, Malcom, made sure of that when he sent out Blair's father to eradicate us. I hate that she is going to be left alone, but I feel it in my bones that I'm not going to make it out of this ordeal alive."

"She won't be alone," Jeremy countered. "She has us – her Pack. We will always be there for her." No matter what happened next, Blair would always have a place within the Pack. She has earned it more than once.

It gave Harper a bit of peace to hear that. "Thank you." To lighten the conversation a little bit, she gestured towards the window, saying, "So, are they…"

Jeremy nodded with a chuckle, figuring what she was getting at. "They do have feelings for one another, yes."

Harper snapped her fingers and pointed out the window again. "I knew it."

Jeremy wanted to address something now, something that caused him concerned the second he heard how sure Harper was that she wouldn't survive. "Blair has lost many people already, Harper. I am concerned for her wellbeing if she loses you as well."

Harper didn't say anything about that and asked him a question. "Why haven't you asked me why I sided with Santos for a time?"

"I assumed your answer," Jeremy reasonably replied. "You said it yourself – the Pack would have killed you for knowing of our existence. That kind of fear can blind a person to seeing what is the best option."

Harper rose to her feet to look out the window at Blair and Nick again. "I get why you're the Alpha now." She looked at Jeremy to give him a bit of a warning. "Don't try to force Blair to be something she's not. If she's anything like me, she will not respond to authority figures well."

This was old news for Jeremy. "Don't worry, Harper. I am well aware." He took a deep breath because it was time to get ready for the attack. "It's time to prepare."

"Got any knives?" Harper asked, cracking her knuckles. "I do my best work with knives."

Jeremy couldn't help but think if Harper was a Wolf, she'd certainly be something. "Plenty in the kitchen."

Harper rubbed her hands together with an, "Excellent," and went straight there to see if any were to her liking.

Jeremy found himself to be glad Harper was on their side, despite the fact she was a Human. Perhaps she'd be useful, but if it came to protecting the Human or a member of his Pack then he'd protect a Pack member first – not matter the ramifications.

There was no more time to waste so Jeremy went outside to interrupt the sparring session. He exited just in time to see Blair get Nick in a headlock. "Enough of that," he called out to them. "It's time."

* * *

Blair hated the idea of having to burn up Stonehaven and all it's Wolf history if things were to go south, but they had to prepare for the possibility. When all the wood and kerosene was set in the basement, she went up to the kitchen to find Harper examining every knife that was laid out on the table. Blair couldn't help but say, "I've got a thing for swords."

"Always been smaller bladed weapons for me. My mother would always tell me that it was the Alden blood which called out to them. Like our blood knew we were meant to have claws but since we didn't have them, we went for the closest thing." Harper picked up a carving knife and held it on her finger to find the balance point.

"I don't want you to fight." Blair should have said it before, but she was saying it now. "This isn't your fight."

"On the contrary," Harper countered. "You are my daughter so this makes this my fight. If I had done things differently then maybe our roads wouldn't have led here, but we cannot change the past. What's done is done and I'll be damned if I stand by and do nothing." She placed her hands on Blair's shoulders. "I am not going to run. Not this time."

"I can't lose you." Blair couldn't even imagine it.

Harper cupped Blair's face. "Oh, Blair, you will never lose me forever. If we happen to part in this life then we will meet again in the next. You are stronger than you realize and as soon as you do realize it, the better off you will be. Don't let your fear of losing someone keep you from letting them in."

Blair was about to say something but she was cut off when she heard beeping coming from the computer in the other room. "My phone." She went into the Great Room and picked up the laptop to check on the GPS tracker and it did confirm that Santos' vehicle was on the move. "Guys!" Blair called out and when the rest joined them, she said, "Santos' car is on the move." She set the computer on Jeremy's desk as he sat down at it. "As long as my phone's battery doesn't die, we should be able to track them." Blair pointed to the blinking dot on the screen. "They're just outside of Bear Valley – thirty minutes give or take."

Clay grunted a bit in pain because he was still recovering from his injuries. When Blair heard that, she went into the kitchen and returned with a syringe of her blood she had in the fridge. "We haven't had proof that it doesn't work, so it's worth a try." She pulled off the needle protector. "May I?"

Clay was willing to try anything at this point, so he nodded and rolled up his sleeve. After Blair injected him with her blood, he returned the sleeve to its place.

Jeremy made a tactical decision in that moment. "We'll fight them at Stonehaven."

"How do you know they're coming here?" Clay wanted to know.

Jeremy's answer to that was simple. "It's what I would do."

Nick didn't want to disobey his Alpha, but he felt he had a point that needed to be shared. "Jeremy, we have the advantage of surprise if we leave now."

Jeremy disagreed with him. "Our advantage is here. We barricade the doors. We can't keep them out but we can slow them down and eliminate them one by one."

Elena didn't like this idea very much. "That's exactly what they want, though – This house and everything in it."

"They'll have to kill us before they take anything." Clay wasn't going to let those Mutts lay one finger on their home.

Jeremy stood up and addressed his Pack and Harper. "We will win here. Or we will die here. But we are strongest here." He looked to Elena as he said, "Together."

* * *

Blair and Harper helped the Pack turn Stonehaven into as much of a fortress as they could. While Harper was assisting Jeremy move bureaus in front of the doors, Blair was in the kitchen pouring cooking oil into a large pot.

Nick came up from the basement with a bag of hunting traps just in time to see her do this. "What are you going to do with that?"

Blair grinned at him a bit wickedly. "I'm going to boil it."

Nick looked impressed that she thought of it. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

As Nick started to leave the kitchen, Blair unintentionally let her guard down long enough to say, "Don't worry, Nick. If I ever use oil on you it'll be because you're on my good side."

Nick froze in place when she said that and slowly turned to look at her. There wasn't time for that to be discussed – the beeping of the computer reminded them of that. "When all this is over, we are so talking about that."

Blair cleared her throat and turned around to light the stove, mentally kicking herself for letting that thought slip out.

After setting the pot of oil on the stove, Blair finished up in the kitchen and joined the others in the Great Room. She was surprised to see Logan there. Her sense of smell was filled with cooking oil at that moment so she didn't smell him before seeing him.

Logan was just finishing telling Jeremy that once all this was over, he was going off the grid with Rachel and that the reason he came back wasn't because Jeremy was his Alpha but because they were his family.

The computer beeped again, making Blair go check it out. "Hate to break up this moment, but…they're right outside." She closed the laptop since there was no point in the tracker anymore.

Jeremy stood up and placed a hand on Logan's shoulder. "Let's go greet them."

They all went outside but couldn't see anyone there. "I thought you said they were here," Jeremy said to Blair as they looked around.

"The tracker said they were," Blair defended. She took a deep inhale and her eyes shot to the treeline. "It's Rachel!"

Logan quickly turned and saw Rachel with duct tape over her mouth and around her hands, and attached to her was Blair's cellphone. He didn't even need a second to think before running to get her.

"Logan, don't!" Jeremy called out because he felt it was a trap, and it was. A Mutt in Wolf form came out snarling and running straight for Logan who was running back to the Pack with Rachel in his arms. "Mutt!" Jeremy exclaimed and quickly grabbed the axe from the woodpile.

Blair's eyes went wide as the axe flew through the air and cracked right into the Mutt's skull. "Holy shit." She followed everyone back into the house.

"Can you tell how many there are?" Elena asked Blair since she had the superior sense of smell.

"I can't pinpoint a number, no," Blair regretfully admitted. "It's like they're all blending together or something."

Jeremy didn't want Blair beating herself up about that. "We'll brace ourselves for the worst."

"Sometimes the worst thing is the most unexpected." Harper definitely received some glared after saying that. "What?" Harper scoffed in her defense. "It is."

Logan brought Rachel upstairs while of them stood in the foyer. Jeremy looked at his Pack and Harper, asking, "Ready?"

"We're going to have to fight as humans," Elena regretfully stated. "We don't have time to Change." She could tell what Blair was thinking just by looking at her. "Not even you, Blair. You Change fast, but not fast enough to be ready before they come barging in."

"We stay in pairs," Jeremy couldn't make that any clearer. "Nobody fights alone. Stay in each other's eye-lines."

The first wave of soon entered Stonehaven. A pair of them came into the kitchen and went upstairs, Nick and Jeremy went after those two and after a pair of flash bombs went off, two Mutts came in through the front door with a battering ram and two in the Great Room. Blair and Harper went into the Great Room to deal with those Mutts. Harper slid over a trap and the Mutt stepped right in it. When it snapped on his leg, Harper went over and slit the Mutt's throat.

The second Mutt went right for Blair and she was ready for him. Before he could even throw the first punch, Blair slashed at his throat with her claws. The Mutt froze and gurgled before dropping to the floor and bleeding out.

Blair saw how a Mutt was going after Clay with the battering ram so she charged at him with a snarl. She sliced the back of the Mutt and duck when the Mutt swung the ram in her direction. She took the moment to slice at his legs before kicking them out from under him. Blair was about to strike again but someone yanked Blair backwards, causing her to smash into the wall.

It took her a second to recover from that, but now she was _pissed off_. Blair yelled at she charged for this new Mutt and fought him right into the other room. She managed to get onto his shoulders and wrap her legs tightly around his neck but he kept smashing her back against the wall. Blair held on tight and let out a breath of relief when Harper appeared and drove a knife right into his chest.

"Nice timing," Blair said through her deep breaths.

"We're not done yet," Harper replied as she yanked out the knife from the Mutt then wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Let's do this." Blair heard footsteps down the stairs so she ran out to the foyer but stopped when she found it was Jeremy and Nick. She was relieved as hell to find them both alive. "Any sign of Santos?"

"No," Jeremy replied, and Nick added in,

"He's probably hiding out in the woods waiting for the others to do his dirty work."

"I recommend going out to find him, then," Harper interjected but when the others went outside, she ventured into the Great Room where Marsten stood. "Friend or foe?"

"I have decided to follow your lead and align myself with the Pack," Marsten replied. "If the Pack will have me, that is. I am fully prepared to face the music even if it is a swan song."

Harper eyed him a bit suspiciously and pointed a knife at him. "I'm watching you."

"You have killed more of my kind than I can count, Miss Alden. I have no doubt that you would kill me as well if given reason to." Marsten leaned back against the desk and waited.

Just then, Santos came into the room. "Marsten, you're alive? And Harper, unfortunately so are you."

Harper whipped around and spun the knife around in her hand. "You won't be for long."

"Your threats have no meaning for me," Santos retorted. "If Marsten is still alive, and you for that matter since you are a Human who knows about us, then that must mean the Pack is dead."

Marsten laughed at that. "Hardly. This has all gone to hell in a hand basket. But like you said, if we run they'll find us. Better off facing the music."

Harper smirked a bit. "Even if it is a swan song."

Santos had a bad feeling about this so he started to make a run for it but was blocked off from every exit. Even Marsten blocked his path. "Turncoat!" Santos shouted at him and started to breathe heavily because he was out numbered quite a bit.

Blair's eyes glowed as she looked at Santos. She didn't hear any of the exchange between Jeremy and Marsten about whether or not he was being serious about siding with the Pack. All Blair could hear was the pounding of her heart in her chest and the blood coursing through her veins. She wanted Santos dead more than anything.

What brought her back to the current situation was Clay who now had Santos in his possession. Clay turned Santos around to Blair, asking, "Do you want the honors?"

Santos saw how Blair's eyes glowed as she stalked towards him. "You wouldn't be this without me! I ordered you to be Bitten so we could rule!"

Blair grabbed Santos by the throat and clenched tightly. "I was a Wolf long before you had me Bitten and I will be a Wolf long after." She leaned closer and whispered, "You didn't want a queen, you wanted a bitch. I am an Alden – I am nobody's bitch." Blair shot her claws into his neck and ripped his throat out. His death didn't change anything, it couldn't, but knowing that he was dead and that she was the one who did it, made Blair feel…better.

She looked up and around but didn't see Harper in the room. "Mom?" Blair then heard fighting noises outside and ran straight there with the others right behind her. There was a Mutt outside who wasn't dead yet and he was taking on Harper. When Harper tried to stab the Mutt, the Mutt turned the knife around and drove it into Harper instead.

"No!" Blair screamed and ran as fast as she could. After tackling the Mutt to the ground and snapping its neck, she went straight to Harper and pressed her hands on her deep wound. "You're gonna be okay. You hear me? I won't let you die."

Harper already had a feeling this was going to happen one way or the other and wasn't bothered by it. "Let me go," she said weakly. "It's okay, honey. Let me go." She coughed and some blood came out of her mouth as she did.

Tears streamed down Blair's face. "No. No. I can't lose you. Please don't leave me."

Harper looked at her daughter with such love in her eyes and weakly said to her, "You are not alone…" With that, the life left Harper's eyes.

Blair screamed out in agony. She didn't even fully realize that Jeremy had gone over to her and held her tight. Another person she loved was lost – how much more could she possibly be expected to take? Blair didn't have an answer for that, but she was going to soon find out…

* * *

End Episode 11 – 'Season 1' Finale

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, Readers! For something that I didn't think I was going to continue I sure went pretty far with it lol. Season 2 will be written but for now Blair's Been Bitten is going on hiatus so I can work on other stories and such. Thank you all so much for reading my story, it means a lot. And thank you for being patient with me in regards to Season 2. Hope you've enjoyed the story thus far, and thanks again!**


	12. Who wants to know? Season 2 Episode 1

Three days. It'd been three days since the attack on Stonehaven. Three days since Logan's pregnant girlfriend Rachel had been taken. Three days since Blair's mother had been killed.

One would think Blair would have taken at least those three days to grieve but no. No, after her bout of screaming agony she picked up the journals Harper left behind at the location Jeremy had given her, and then she allowed herself one more tear before turning all that grief into rage. Blair was going to find Malcolm Danvers and kill him…no matter what.

Honestly, Blair didn't care what she needed to do in order for them to get a lead on Malcolm's whereabouts. Torture? – Sure. Murder? – If necessary. Seducing a bank employee while Nick and Joey planted a video camera on her badge so they could get access to Malcolm's alias's bank accounts in order to find out where Malcolm was getting his funding from? – Most definitely. In fact, that was the current plan of action while Logan went off the grid, Elena, and Clay followed their own lead, and Jeremy dealt with the Alpha meeting.

If Nick had his way Blair would not have been the one to put the plan into action – only because the thought of her seducing anyone made his blood boil. On top of that he felt she needed time to actually grieve.

Joey didn't need Nick to voice his thoughts aloud as he worked on installing the practically microscopic camera on the bank badge while Blair kept the banker busy in the next hotel room over. How Nick was feeling was radiating off his entire being. "No one's forcing her to do this, man."

Nick stopped pacing long enough to respond to this. "I know that. It's just…"

Joey cut him off there as he continued with the work. "If this was any other Pack member you wouldn't be giving it a second thought. Hell, if Blair wasn't in the Pack and our banker lady wasn't into the ladies it'd likely be you in there right now. You've got feelings for her, I get it. But face it, man, you're not a couple. She's not cheating on you. She's doing whatever she has to do to get us a lead. You need to focus on that and not give her more reasons to be pissed."

As much as Nick hated to admit it Joey was right. If what Nick was feeling projected onto Blair then she'd likely get upset with him. He didn't want that. He didn't want any of this. If Nick had his way then he and Blair wouldn't be doing any of this. If Nick had his way he would have whisked Blair off to give her the time and space to grieve but he couldn't do that. Pack business came first so, reluctantly, that's what they were going to do.

After Blair did her part, she went to take a shower while Nick and Joey took care of the rest of the plan – getting the banker to access their computer of all Malcolm's bank activity and using the tiny badge camera to get a picture of it. If they follow the money they'll find who funded the Mutt Uprising and who in turn wanted to take over the North America territory.

* * *

While the guys took care of that, Blair took her shower. More like she sat on the shower floor as the water poured down on her almost as if she was trying to make everything wash away – all the pain, all the memories…everything. The feelings that radiated through her body hadn't been present in such a long time – the numbness yet the fury that flowed through her veins. Once Malcolm was dead and her mother avenged then things would have to change because Blair never wanted to feel like that again in this or any other Reality.

Nick knew that Blair was still in the shower but he thought she'd want to know that they got what they needed. The plan worked and they had all the information regarding Malcolm's banking activity. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. He knocked again but again nothing. Nick opened the door enough to call out, "Blair? It worked. We got what we needed." Still nothing so now he was worried.

Nick went right into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. When he moved aside the shower curtain and found Blair sitting there with her knees pulled to her chest it pained him. He didn't say anything else, but acted. Without even taking off his shoes or anything, he went into the shower, sat down behind Blair, and wrapped his arms around her. For a moment Blair did nothing but it wasn't long before she leaned back into him but didn't say a word.

Nick held her tight as he kissed the top of her head as the water poured down upon them. "We're going to get him, Blair. I swear to you Malcolm is going to pay."

* * *

When Blair finally came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready to go, she went straight to the drink cart and poured herself a glass of whiskey. After downing it and pouring herself another, she looked around the hotel suite. "Where's Joey?"

Nick set the suitcase on the bed to pack up the last of their things as he answered. "Jeremy said he was free to go. We got what we needed."

Blair finished the second glass and set it aside before crossing her arms. "So what's next? We going to track down Malcolm or what?"

Nick paused for a moment before zipping up the suitcase. "Jeremy wants us back to Stonehaven to meet with the Spanish Alpha. Clay and Elena are following the lead."

Blair's normally yellow Wolf eyes turned gold in rage. " **Why**?" she demanded to know. "Why aren't we going?! Where the hell is he, Nick?!" With each word she shouted at him they came out more and more like growls instead of her voice.

Nick knew he had to calm to her down before she Changed or something. "They're closer than he are," he reasoned. "Clay and Elena will follow Malcolm's trail. It'll be alright."

Blair scoffed incredulously. "You swore **we** would find him and make him pay. And now you're pawning it off on Clay and Elena?!"

"We're all doing what we have to in order to take Malcolm down. The other Alphas gave Jeremy a deadline to finding him. If our Pack doesn't find him then they are going to make Jeremy step down and give up his Pack and territories. At this point it doesn't matter who finds Malcolm as long as he is found."

"It matters to me!" Blair shouted back at him. "It matters to me, goddammit!" She looked down at her hands as they started to turn into claws but with some focus she fought back the Change. Once her body was entirely back to human form – her eyes included – she looked back to Nick. Her voice was eerily calm as she said, "Once Malcolm is dead I am leaving the Pack." Without another word, she grabbed her bag and left the room.

Nick stood there in shock because he didn't expect those words to come out of her mouth and certainly didn't think she meant it. After taking his own bags, he hurried out into the hall to catch up with her. "You don't mean that."

"Like hell I don't," Blair shot back as she stormed on ahead.

Nick dropped his bags and sprinted ahead to get in front of her. Once he was there he reached out and put his hands on Blair's shoulders to keep her from going anywhere and to make sure that she was going to focus on what he was saying. "You're not thinking clearly, Blair. Listen to me, once all this is over you will be able to grieve and…"

Blair shrugged his hands off her shoulders and stepped back away from him. "Don't you get it, Nick? I am **sick** of grieving! I have lost _too many_ people. I would rather be alone than living in constant worry every day that another person I cared about would be ripped out of my life."

Nick stood up straighter as he made a decision. "Then I'll go with you. If you leave the Pack then so will I."

Blair scoffed at his declaration. "No you won't. You wouldn't be able to turn your back on them. It's not in your nature. Turning away from something to keep my heart from being shattered yet again is most certainly in mine." Blair looked at him seriously before walking down the hall yet again.

Nick didn't try to deter her this time because she clearly wasn't ready to see – she wasn't ready to understand that he would do anything for her. He would give up anything for her. Nick couldn't logically explain it but he would rather live the rest of his years as a Mutt with Blair than be a part of the Pack without her.

* * *

Neither Blair or Nick said a word to each other the whole drive back to Stonehaven. Since Blair didn't know where Malcolm's trail led she would just have to wait until the report from Clay and Elena. A report that came with news Blair was not happy about – They found Malcolm's hideout but when they arrived there was nothing but carnage, Malcolm's trail had been lost, and Rachel was nowhere to be found. Suffice to say Blair was still fuming when she burst into Stonehaven.

Jeremy heard the door slam open and went to see source. He had to step back when Blair stormed in with such speed and fury right through the foyer and up the stairs without a word. "I am going to assume she knows the update."

Nick, who had entered the house behind Blair and closed the door behind them, nodded with a heavy sigh. "I'm worried about her, Jeremy. She's talking about leaving the Pack once Malcolm is dead and she certainly isn't in the right headspace to be present for delicate Alpha politics."

Jeremy had far too much to deal with at present so Nick's concerns about Blair would have to wait. In that moment, they needed to confront the Spanish Alpha, Rodrigo Sanchez, about him being the one to financed Malcolm's uprising. Jeremy knew better than to have Blair be present for that revelation so he let her stay upstairs while he and Nick dealt with matters.

Just because Blair was upstairs didn't mean she missed anything. In her room she heard Rodrigo confess to helping Malcolm and that he had wired money to Baton Rouge and how Malcolm was planning on getting on a plane to Bangkok that night.

Hearing all that made Blair's blood boil. She quite literally felt her body temperature rise as her eyes turned golden and this time when her body started to Change, she didn't fight it. Only she didn't Change into her Werewolf form but her bi-pedal Wolf-Woman one.

Blair's body cracked and contorted as it grew and changed shape but this time it was far less painful. Perhaps it was because Blair wanted it to happen – she wanted to be stronger, she _needed_ to be in order to take down the Spanish Alpha who had aided in the death of her mother. Screw any possible threat to her Alpha. Why? Because in her opinion she didn't have an Alpha anymore. No, this was all about vengeance.

Blair let out a howling roar before running out the room, leaving claw marks on the floor as she went. The stairs where no obstacle for her. She jumped right down into the landing and into the foyer on all fours. Blair snarled as she slowly stood into an upright position and turned towards the Great Room where she had heard Rodrigo speak but he was no longer there. This made her all the more enraged so she charged for the door only to be stopped by a frantic Nick.

Nick held his hands out towards her to show he meant no harm. "Blair, listen to me. Hey, it's Nick, okay? Just calm down okay?" This only seemed to enrage Blair's 'Other Wolf' even more, so he tried again what worked the first time. "Don't disappear on me, Blair. Please."

Those words resonated with her Other Wolf and soon her growls turned into deep breaths before her body shifted and reverted back to her human state. As much as Blair wanted to deny it to herself, her Wolves couldn't. Nick has been and always will be the most important person in this Reality to her.

Once Blair was back to her human state, she took deep breaths and turned to Jeremy. "Malcolm's in Baton Rouge?"

"Yes, but you're not coming, Blair. You're not stable enough." Jeremy had no doubt there would be backlash from this.

"You can't stop me from going!" she shouted back at him and would have gotten right into his face if it wasn't for Nick holding her back. "I need to make him pay!"

"And he will," Jeremy assured her, "you have my word that he will but I can't trust you right now, Blair. I can't count that you'll be in control."

"Then why tell me to come back here, huh?!" Blair shouted at him before shoving Nick's arms off her. "If you wanted me to do nothing then why put in me in a position where I know things but can't do shit about them? Huh?! Do you get some sort of pleasure from this sick sense of control or something?!"

Jeremy allowed her to vent in this manner because if she didn't think things would likely get worse, but that did not mean he appreciated her words. "I don't want there to be any more secrets between us. And I expect your obedience. You are still a part of my Pack, so until Malcolm dies I expect you to act like it."

Blair's eyes widened a bit as she turned towards Nick. "You **told him**?!" She shook her head and scoffed heavily. "Screw you. Screw both of you!" Blair ran back upstairs to change into clothes that weren't torn up due to her Change and slammed her bedroom door behind her.

Nick cringed a bit at the sound because it resonated with her rage.

Jeremy realized the error of his words too little too late. In an attempt to patch things up a little bit he said, "Once she allows herself to grieve she will come around."

Nick could only hope that was the case.

Meanwhile while Nick was hoping and Jeremy was making plans to fly down to Baton Rouge and filled in the others, Blair was upstairs looking out the window with her cellphone in hand. She was debating whether or not to do something she told herself and Elena she wouldn't do while in this Reality but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Blair started dialing a number she had no idea would even work or not and after a few rings a familiar voice said 'Hello?' on the other end. She needed a moment to take a breath before speaking. "You don't know me but please don't hang up. We need to talk…"

* * *

When Jeremy and the others returned to Stonehaven that night with Malcolm in their possession it didn't take them long to realize that there was more than just Blair present in the house. Jeremy instructed Nick and the rest to stay in the foyer while he went into the Great Room.

Jeremy found Blair leaning against his desk with a glass of bourbon in her hand and sitting in the armchair nearby was a man he didn't recognize but by his scent Jeremy could tell he was a Werewolf. This did not please him one bit. "Blair, what did you do?"

Blair set her glass down on the desk behind her and spoke simply. "I'm a part of this Pack so I have to obey you, right? Well, he's not but guess what – he'll listen to me."

Jeremy's displeased eyes locked on the smug Wolf sitting in the chair. As if Jeremy didn't have enough to deal with now he had a Mutt who apparently pledged some sort of loyalty to Blair. One step at a time. The first thing Jeremy needed to know because he didn't recognize this Mutt was their name. "We'll discuss this later, Blair." Now he turned to the Mutt. "What is your name and where are you from?"

The Wolf, despite knowing that this was the Alpha Jeremy Danvers asking him that, replied with nothing more than a smirk and a question of his own; "Who wants to know?"

* * *

End Season 2 Episode 1

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, Readers! So sorry if this first Episode was horrible. I had wicked writer's block and pretty much just wanted to get this Episode done so I could move onto the ones I had more ideas for. Thank you for reading, thank you for your patience, and again so sorry if this was a horrible way to start of Season 2.**


	13. Lockwood Mutt

Jeremy stood across from Blair in the Great Room while her companion was asked to wait outside and the others made sure Malcolm was secured away to deal with later. Jeremy already had to much to deal with and now he had Blair's Mutt on his plate as well. A Mutt that he had not crossed paths with before, which made him wonder how Blair could possibly know him.

Jeremy poured himself and Blair a drink before addressing the present situation. "I am starting to believe that your grief is clouding your judgement, Blair. What were you thinking bringing that Mutt here? And how do you know them?" He handed the glass to her in hopes of keeping things civil so he'd get his answers.

"I know him in my Reality. The Lockwoods an the Aldens go way back where I'm from and apparently that is something that isn't much different here. There really are some things that transcend time and space." Blair downed the drink in one shot before setting it down on Jeremy's desk. "You can punish me all you want for bringing him here but it won't change anything. I want him here – I _need_ him here. A familiar face will keep me grounded – a constant reminder that this isn't my Reality." Blair had let herself get too lost in this world and needed some sort of anchor to keep that from happening again.

"And if I refuse to allow this Lockwood Mutt to stay here? What then?" Jeremy looked at her curiously because he honestly couldn't tell what she was going to do next anymore. After the loss of Harper it was as if something had snapped inside Blair. She had become erratic, unpredictable, and bordering upon uncontrollable. Jeremy needed to know what this side of Blair held in store for them.

Blair crossed her arms with a bit a shrug. "You won't forbid him from being here, because if you do then I just might have to challenge you for Alpha. After all, what kind of Alpha just lets the man who was responsible for the deaths of Pete, Antonio, Philip, and my mother just walk right out of Stonehaven?" She noticed the change in Jeremy's demeanor - his posture straightened and expression hardened. Blair put her hands on her hips and popped her lips. "Don't worry, Jeremy. I won't challenge you. Because, let's face it, it wouldn't be much of a fight."

"Are you trying to antagonize me further, Blair?" Jeremy didn't like this side of her one bit and blamed it on her grief.

Blair didn't answer that question and went on to make another point. "As long as he can stay then I will behave like the obedient Packmate you expect me to be. Do we have a deal, Jeremy?"

Jeremy went against his better judgement and agreed. "We have a deal, but I wish your desire to stay with the Pack didn't rest solely on Malcolm's lifespan." He took an extra step by adding in, "I would hope that Nick's presence within the Pack would be a factor."

Blair's face hardened at those words. "Do _not_ bring Nick into this."

Jeremy bowed his head in agreement. "Fair enough. But I will bring these into the conversation." He went over to his desk and within the largest drawer he pulled out a drawstring bag full of books. Jeremy set them on the desk and slid them to her. "I saw that you had picked these up. Now you need to read them. I gave Harper my word you would read the Alden journals. And before you ask; No, I haven't read them. Perhaps these will aid you in your grief."

Blair went straight to the bag and opened them up. She pulled the first one out when Jeremy stopped at the door to say one last thing,

"In case it wasn't clear already, you are not to go anywhere near Malcolm. We need him alive to find out where Rachel is. You may hate me and blame me for what happened to your mother but do not let that cause you to do something that would punish Logan." Jeremy intended that to be the very last thing he was going to say to her but he had one more question, "What makes you think that Lockwood Mutt will be loyal to you?"

"Because I am an Alden," Blair answered without missing a beat and referencing the conversation she had with him before he came to Stonehaven. "The Lockwoods have been waiting for an Alden Wolf for a long time. Maybe I'll tell you about it some time." Blair had the last word as she took the bag from the desk and went out the other door.

This revelation didn't sit well with Jeremy one bit but he would have to wait and see how it would develop. One problem at a time was all he could presently handle.

* * *

Nick was working on breakfast preparations when Jeremy came into the kitchen. There was a bit of annoyance and jealousy to his tone as he asked, "Will the Mutt be joining us?"

"Blair trusts him," Jeremy replied as he moved through the kitchen to get himself some coffee. "She needs that right now."

Nick stopped slicing the bread and looked right at Jeremy. "It makes no sense, Jeremy. How could she possibly know him? He's a Mutt and she trusts him? There's something missing."

Of course there was something missing but it wasn't something Jeremy was ready to share with Nick. The fact that Blair was a Traveler was something only Jeremy and Elena knew and to keep the thin ice where Blair was concerned from breaking, Jeremy was going to keep it that way. "It seems they've known each other from before her time with us. If the Lockwood Mutt brings some sort of peace for her then we will let her have it. Blair has lost her trust and faith in the Pack – in me – so I will give her this for now."

Nick didn't like this one bit. He didn't like that Blair had some sort of connection with a guy he didn't even know existed. But more than that, Nick hated that the guy was a Werewolf.

* * *

Blair went out to the front steps and set the bag of books beside her. She put her finger and thumb in her mouth to whistle then started going through them. At the sound of approaching footsteps, she looked up and let out a deep breath as Tyler Lockwood walked towards her before taking a seat on the step below. "You didn't run off from the big Alpha. I'm impressed."

"I'm a Mutt for a reason, Han. The present and past Alphas have not impressed me, but I do see that changing soon enough." Tyler took one of the journals from the bag and flipped through it without reading anything as he said, "Just as I vowed the moment I learned you were an Alden Wolf – While you may not be _the_ Alpha, you are mine." Tyler closed the book and returned it to her. "Just as you will be for every other Lockwood Wolf and their allies. You have an army at your disposal when you are ready to use it."

"I have just gone through one Mutt uprising, Tyler. I have no intention of being part of another." Blair took the journal from him and set it aside. "I am still surprised you even took my call."

"Why would you be? I'm sure Harper must have told you all about the Lockwood loyalty to the Alden line. Unfortunately we were not much help when Malcolm initiated the eradication of your bloodline. We didn't hear of it until it was too late." The regret of this was present on Tyler's face but that soon changed when he looked at her and asked, "Are you a Traveler, too?" He chuckled at her surprised expression. "Not every Alden is a Traveler, but every Traveler is an Alden. Why do you think you have another side to your Wolf that others do not?"

Tyler let out a deep breath as he looked from the journals to Blair. "You lost Harper too soon. Hopefully these journals will give you some knowledge and perhaps some peace."

"Peace is the last thing I want. What I want is to go down into that basement and tear Malcolm apart limb from him before slicing him from navel to sternum and ripping his guts out." Blair knew that was quite graphic even for her and while she didn't address it, her face made it clear.

"What's stopping you then? You could easily overpower every member of that Pack in there to get what you want. So why don't you do it?" Tyler really wanted to know the answer to this.

Blair rubbed her forehead with a sigh before admitting, "Because Malcolm knows where Rachel is and I can't do that to Logan. Despite my rage and my pain and desire for vengeance I can't be that selfish. I won't be."

Tyler turned around to face Blair better and pointed at her in all seriousness, "And that is why one day, Han, you are going to make a great Alpha."

* * *

Logan had been trying for – he had forgotten how long he'd been trying to get Malcolm to confess where Rachel was. He knew Malcolm was deliberately keeping quiet because as long as Rachel's whereabouts were unknown they'd keep him alive. Nothing Logan had tried had worked thus far but he wasn't going to give up. In fact he was about to try something else when Blair and her Lockwook Mutt came down into the cellar.

"You're not allowed down here." There was no way in hell Logan was going to let Blair rip Malcolm's throat out like he knew damn well she wanted.

"I just want to talk to him," Blair replied with honesty, "and that's what I'm going to do whether or not you want me to." She took a step forward only to be met by Logan blocking her path. Blair looked him right in the eye as she asked him, "Do you truly believe I would do anything to jeopardize Rachel and the baby?"

She had him there. Despite everything he knew in his bones that Blair wouldn't. Even with her doubts about the Pack now and her grief and everything, he knew the type of person she was and she wouldn't do anything until Rachel and the baby were safe. "You have five minutes then I'm coming back down here." Logan shot a glare towards the Mutt before heading upstairs.

Blair waited until Logan was gone before stepping closer to the cage. "You're not as intimidating as I imagined."

"Neither are you," Malcolm replied as he looked her over. "I expected an Alden Wolf to be, well, taller."

Blair scoffed a chuckle at that. "Don't judge a book by it's cover. You want to know the whole story – you gotta flip through the pages." She moved to the other side of the room and brought the wooden chair with her back to the cage. After taking a seat, she looked Malcolm right in the eye. "How does it feel to be a failure? Because, let's face it, you've failed _big time_."

"I didn't fail when it came to killing your thorn in the side mother now did I?"

Blair's face hardened at that and she slowly rose to her feet. "And here I was trying to be civil." She looked at Malcolm with her glowing Wolf eyes as she demanded to know, "Where is Rachel?"

"So the stories are true - you do have another Wolf buried inside you."

Blair turned her hands into claws as she gripped into the bars that Malcolm stepped back from. "Who said it was buried? Now where is Rachel?" At his silence she returned her hands and eyes back to normal and popped her lips. "Fine. Be that way. But I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Malcolm. I am more than an Alden – I am a Traveler. So believe me when I say if you do not tell me where Rachel is I will hunt you down in any world, in every version of Reality – I will hunt you down and burn your world to the ground."

Jeremy came down into the cellar at that moment to have a little chat with his father. "Take your friend upstairs, Blair." When she whipped around to glare at him, he made himself clear, "I'm not asking."

"Fine," she grumbled in reply before saying one last thing to Malcolm. "My threat is not an empty one." She didn't stick around to explain to Jeremy the meaning behind her words and just went upstairs with Tyler.

They were met at the top of the stairs by Nick who wanted to talk with Blair. It was clear by the look on his face that he wasn't pleased to see her with Tyler.

Nick looked only at Blair as he said, "I need to talk to you." It wasn't until he said, " **Alone** ," that he looked at the Lockwood Mutt.

Tyler was about to say something but Blair nodded at him to let him know it was okay. "I need to make a town run anyway. Whistle if you need me."

Blair walked further into the kitchen to get something to drink. "What did you want to talk about?"

"What are you doing with that Lockwood Mutt?" Nick knew he was supposed to let this go but he couldn't.

"Tyler," Blair corrected. "His name is Tyler. Not 'Lockwood Mutt'."

"I don't care what his name is. All I care about is what you're doing with him." Nick was starting to sound jealous now and Blair picked up on that.

"I'm not sleeping with him if that's what you're getting at. You know I knew Werewolves existed before I was Bitten. I suppose one could say Tyler was one of them." Of course she left out the part about knowing Tyler Lockwood in her Reality, but still.

"I don't like that he's here, Blair. I don't trust him." Nick almost added in that he didn't like how the Lockwood Mutt looked at her – like she was a prize he wanted to win or something.

" ** _I do_** ," Blair firmly replied – having completely forgotten about getting a drink at this point. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going for a Run." That was Blair's way of ending the conversation before she said or did something she might regret.

"You should stay here. Jeremy is calling the Spanish Alpha…." Nick didn't get a chance to finish his reasons thanks to Blair interjecting with,

"You really don't want me around that Alpha right now. He was the one who funded the Mutt Uprising that resulted in my mother's death. I may not be able to kill Malcolm yet but nothing is stopping me from killing that Spanish son of a bitch." Blair shrugged nonchalantly and headed for the other room, saying, "But if you really want me to stay then…"

Now it was Nick's turn to interject before she could continue further. "No, you're right. You should go for a Run. I'll be here when you get back."

"I know," Blair answered with more softness than she intended then turned around and went straight out the back door without another word.

Nick hoped that momentary break in her walls would be enough of a start to get them back to the way things were before. He knew it was only days ago but honestly it felt like an eternity.

* * *

Blair didn't even get a chance to start her Run when suddenly a fog filled the entire area that brought an array of eerie whispers along with it. The whispers – while she couldn't understand them – sounded oddly familiar. Finally, it hit her – metaphorically speaking. "Witches?"

Blair couldn't process any further than that because she heard something that was louder than all the whispering voices – She heard Nick cry out in pain. "Nick!" Blair didn't waste any time running through the dense foggy woods towards the sounds of Nick's cries.

Blair was the first to find Nick who had his hands pressed against his eyes as he screamed. "Nick!"

"My eyes!" Nick screamed. "The blood! It won't stop!"

Blair took hold of Nick's hands and moved them from his eyes. "Listen to me, Nick, and open your eyes. Trust me there is no blood. I swear there is no blood."

Nick opened his eyes wide but he still couldn't see. "I'm blind. I – I can't see!"

Blair put her hands on the side of his face to try and calm and center him. "Breathe, Nick. You need to breathe. You're going to be okay. I swear you are going to be okay."

"What happened?" Jeremy asked as he ran over to them with Elena right behind him.

"There was a woman. She did this to me," Nick explained, all while holding onto Blair's wrists.

"Nick, Blair and Elena are going to take you back to the house. I'm going to find the woman. Go." Jeremy was damn well going to make sure that woman paid for what she had done.

Blair wrapped her arm around Nick to help guide him on one side while Elena assisted him on the other. "We've got you, Nick," she assured him. "I've got you."

Just by the way Blair said that to Nick, Elena would have sworn that was one of their ways of saying 'I love you' without ever saying the words and based off the way Nick turned his head in Blair's direction Elena was certain Nick was thinking the same thing.

* * *

When they got back to Stonehaven Blair realized that the house was completely void of electricity but she didn't care about that right now. All that mattered was keeping Nick from falling off the deep end. She and Elena helped him into a chair in the Great Room but he was still freaking out.

Blair crouched in front of him and took his hands. "Nick, listen to my voice. Can you hear me?" At his nod through his rapid breathing, she put one hand on his cheek. "Can you feel my hand? There's no blood. You're going to be alright." This wasn't working and Nick was still hyperventilating so Blair did something to make him focus on something else completely.

Without worrying about the after, Blair pressed her lips against Nick's to kiss him. When he started to return the kiss she pulled back and asked him, "Did you feel that?" She certainly felt the pounding of her heart after that.

Nick blinked his eyes a few times as his vision started to return and Blair's face came into focus. "Except for that, this is all like a bad dream."

At that moment he electricity sparked back into ignition, making Elena ask, "What the hell is going on?"

Blair sure as hell had a theory but she wasn't going to tell them about it just yet. Besides she wasn't even sure if it was Witches. The whispering reminded her of the Witch Spirits back in her Reality but surely if Witches existed here then they'd know about it, right?

* * *

No one had gotten any sleep that night. When Tyler returned and was filled in by Blair on what happened he took watch outside all night. Was he standing watch to help the Pack? Not at all. He was making damn sure that whatever came back would have to go through him before getting to the Alden Wolf.

It didn't sit well with any of them that Jeremy didn't find a trace of the woman that Nick saw in the woods. Blair couldn't stop thinking about the likelihood of it being Witches and if it was Witches would it be Bonnie's Alter she'd be seeing or any other Witch from her Reality? There were certainly a number she didn't want to see again but that was besides the point. What was important to know was why here and now? What was going on that made them the target? And how could they stop it from happening again?

Blair went down to the kitchen and found Nick keeping watch out the window, much like he had in the various other rooms throughout the night. "Elena finally go to bed?"

"No. Elena went to meet Phillip's sister. She's here in Bear Valley." Nick took one last look out the window before moving over to the table where Blair presently sat.

"At least she's not coming to Stonehaven." Blair knew Jorge had Cleaned everything so nothing about Phillip's death led back to the Pack or Wolves but still, the last thing they needed was Phillip's sister showing up in the middle of all this.

"It's not ghosts right?" Nick asked out of nowhere. "I mean, I don't believe in ghosts. Do you?"

"There are only a few things I don't believe in. Let's leave it at that." Blair traced her finger over a knot in the wood of the table. There was a sort of inner battle going inside Blair's mind in that moment. A debate as to whether or not she should tell Nick what she thought it was and finally one side won. "I think it's Witches."

Nick looked from the table to Blair when he heard her say that but wasn't sure if he had heard her correctly. "Did you just say Witches?"

"How did you know they were Witches?" Clay asked as came into the kitchen with a leather book in his hands and Jeremy right beside him. "What else do you know, Blair?" And here he thought he could trust her.

"I know a lot of things, Clay. I just never know when or where it will apply here." Blair couldn't be more honest than that. After all, Clay didn't know the truth about her either.

* * *

It was most definitely Witches and Jeremy intended on summoning them to Stonehaven to find out what was going on once and for all. In the book Clay had with him there was a spell to do just that but when he tried it didn't work.

"I don't think a guy should be the one casting that spell or whatever," Tyler observed as he stood beside Blair and looked at the book. He reached out and tapped one of the symbols on the page. "Correct me if I wrong but that symbolizes a female."

All eyes turned to Blair at that moment. In turn she rolled her eyes and waved her hand over the array of herbs as she repeated the words Jeremy once tried. A moment later a gust of wind came out of nowhere that blew out all the candles in the kitchen and a momentary collection of whispers were followed by a thump coming from the Great Room.

Everyone present – Nick, Logan, Jeremy, Clay, Tyler, and Blair – went into the Great Room and found two women present. The elder was sitting behind Jeremy's desk and the younger one stood at her side.

Blair almost couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the younger woman standing there. Yep, she was most definitely a Witch but more than that she was the Alter of a Witch Blair knew in her Reality once upon a time. Oh yeah this was going to get real complicated real fast.

The elder addressed the Pack as she said, "Well now you all know we are Witches and we know you are Werewolves. Let's get that out of the way so we can begin."

"Can't believe we summoned Witches," Nick commented – not liking being in the same room with the woman who made him hallucinate that his eyes were bleeding and he had gone blind because of it.

"You didn't summon is," the elder Witch countered as she looked right at Blair. "Your female companion called and we only answered because it is time to talk." She looked at Blair with knowing eyes – she could see there was more to Blair than met the eye – In this lifetime and all the others. The summoning spell only worked for one reason and one reason only; In at least one of Blair's lifetimes she was a Witch. The Reality didn't matter – Magic such as that Traveled with the soul.

Jeremy noticed how the Witch was looking at Blair but didn't address it. He had other things on his mind. "Clay, Logan, guard the entrances. We don't need any more surprises. And Tyler, if you would join them."

Tyler didn't move until Blair nodded in his direction then he went off with the others to play guard there instead of staying at Blair's side like he wanted to. She deemed it necessary for him to be elsewhere so he obliged.

The elder Witch stepped out from behind the desk and sat upon the sofa with Jeremy's permission and introduced herself. "I am Ruth Winterbourne." She gestured to the younger Witch. "My associate Paige."

Jeremy sat down in the armchair across the way. "You'll forgive me if I'm not familiar with the protocols dealing with your type."

"We're Witches. You can say it. It's not a word we like to use in unsafe company, but with you, it's fine." Ruth gestured to the three of them. "Since you're all from the Other World."

"The Other World?" Nick had never heard that term before.

"Not human," Ruth clarified. "Supernatural."

"You might prefer 'special'," Paige added in with a tone that made it clear she was taking a jab at them.

Ruth carried on before that remark was addressed. "Magic, as you may call it, does exist. We don't fly around on broomsticks or twitch our noses to cast our spells. I run a successful cosmetic company."

"Wholly organic, of course," Paige added in.

Ruth continued with her point. "We have more in common than you think." While her eyes were upon Jeremy as she spoke, it was Paige who didn't take her eyes off Blair. "We both need to keep our existence a secret. People panic at the thought of us. Always have, always will. I have no interest in exposing you or us."

Based off that, Jeremy surmised, "You're all women, I take it?"

Ruth answered that with, "Our power is hereditary, like yours. But unlike you, we only give birth to female children."

"How do you know so much about us?" Nick wanted to know.

"They observe but don't interfere." Blair sat on the arm of the sofa across from the Witches and gestured to them, "Am I wrong?"

"No," Ruth confirmed. "That is true. We do keep tabs but we don't interfere in your affairs. 'Live and let live' is our motto."

Jeremy found a hole in that motto. "And yet here you are. In my home. Calling us out into the woods. Were you responsible for what happened in Rochester?"

"All we saw was the aftermath," Paige answered to which Ruth added in,

"The man who did that knows we exist. All of us." She let that sit for a moment before adding in, "We're being hunted. They want the Werewolf that you have downstairs. And so do we. You want him dead. We want to trade him."

"For what?" Jeremy wanted to know the answer to this.

"For a young girl." Ruth rose to her feet and approached Jeremy. "A young Witch who hasn't yet come into her powers. She can't defend herself. She was kidnapped by this force. Look, all you need to know is that we want her back." Ruth sat on the coffee table in front of Jeremy as she pleaded. "Help us. Please."

Jeremy wasn't going to do that. "You want Malcolm. We can't hand him over."

Ruth didn't like this answer. She picked up a walnut from the bowl on the coffee table. "You think brute force will be enough." She squeezed the nut and dropped it back into the bowl. "Soon they will come for you and you will be begging for our help.

Jeremy stood almost the same time as Ruth did. "I doubt that."

"Doubt all you like. But let me tell you this; We've managed to survive a long time, much longer than you I might add, and we didn't do it by playing nice. You're either on our side or you're in our way." Ruth looked at the three of them in turn before whispering to Jeremy, "Right now, you're in our way."

Blair gave the Witches a little finger wave as they left then booked it off the couch and went right upstairs to her room to allow herself a moment to breathe. She knew that was the Paige she knew from a past life but holy crap it was Paige nonetheless. Out of all the Witches she thought she may see, that Witch wasn't one of them.

"Dammit," she whispered to herself before hitting the wall next to the door. "Dammit!" Blair rested her head upon the doorframe as she breathed deeply but the only thought that came aloud was the same sentiment as before. "Dammit."

Blair heard footsteps up the stairs and looked through her doorway to find Tyler coming towards her. She couldn't help but wonder by opening one door with contacting the Alter of someone from her Reality that he threw open all the others. How many more Alters would coming into her life now? She couldn't help but wonder that and worry even more because of it.

Tyler could easily tell that Blair was upset and he was willing to do whatever it took to help ease her mind. "What's the plan, Han?"

Honestly, Blair had no idea but as long as Paige was in the picture there was only one thing she could honestly say, "Brace yourself for the unexpected, Lockwood." That was all they could possibly do – try and be prepared for anything they could and couldn't think of. Blair knew it'd be impossible but they sure as hell had to try.

* * *

End Season 2 Episode 2


End file.
